The Criminal Meets the Princess
by spicehnoodles
Summary: -DxC- "You. Criminal. Window. Pervert. Confused," Courtney said incoherently. "You. Princess. Towel. Gorgeous. Lusty," Duncan retorted playfully.
1. Top Prison Guards and Towels

A green-haired mohawk dude casually put his feet on the table, putting his muscular arms at the back of his head.

"Hey, Geoff, thanks for making me crash at your place," Duncan said, yawning a bit. "That prison sure was hard to escape, but whatever."

Geoff laughed. "It's cool, man. And what, is this your tenth escape?" he asked, flipping through the channels.

Duncan smirked. "More than that, dude—probably like my twentieth or so." He was exaggerating; it was actually his eleventh escape. He can stay out of trouble _at times_.

"So, the cops still searching or did they give up already?"

He snorted. "They're considered as the 'top policemen agency' or something crappy like that. Guess the others didn't tell them about me," he joked.

"That's a whole load of bull for you, eh?" Geoff settled for _Degrassi_.

Duncan grimaced. "Dude, this show is so dramatic. Every little thing they freaking do a whole big drama mess happens. And the dudes are gay. Some are even _really _gay! It's just a messed up show about people's horrible lives. I had to watch it with one of my ex-girlfriends." He shuddered.

Geoff chuckled. "It does have some lesbian action," he said slyly.

Duncan smirked. "Hell yeah. That's the only thing I like about this show besides seeing a girl in a towel. Damn, I wish I could see that in real life. Even though I've had many girlfriends, I_'_ve _never_ seen a girl in one!"

"Keep freaking dreaming, man."

Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps outside of the apartment. Geoff didn't hear it yet, though.

But he wasn't a criminal.

Duncan tensed; he knew they were here. It was sort of like his "criminal senses." He immediately jumped off the couch and started looking for a comforter.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Geoff asked, giving him a comforter he found on the floor.

"That's not enough; I need three more, man," Duncan quickly muttered tying the comforters together tightly with the one he found.

Geoff was so confused. "Duncan, why are you—?"

"Geoff, just get me three more comforters and hurry! I don't have much time! I don't have time at all! They're coming door to door, and I'm lucky enough that your apartment is at the way end of the fourth floor. Now freaking move!" he hissed quietly in one breath. He tightened the knots.

Geoff quickly came back with the three comforters, and Duncan grabbed it from him tying it with the other comforters. He was quick, but he _is _a criminal. He's used to it. Then he tied the end of the comforter rope on the window sill tightly. He tugged it, making sure it was tight and good enough to climb down on.

Duncan smiled smugly at Geoff. "You catching on now, Geoff?" he asked, swiftly climbing out of the window. "Hey, make sure you hide this thing before the freaks come bustin' in your door, okay?"

Geoff nodded. "Yeah, man. My mouth's sealed tight."

"It better be or else I _will _make it sealed tight. Trust me, I did once, and I can do it again," Duncan threatened.

Geoff rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Okay, Mr. Criminal, enough with the threats and get out of here."

Duncan grinned. "Thanks again, man. See you…sometime." He slid down.

Geoff saw him climb down and casually jump inside another person's window, which was two floors down from his. Geoff quickly withdrew the comforter rope in and threw it under the couch, stuffing it in. He quietly closed the window and jumped on the couch and resumed watching the "whole big drama mess," trying to look normal.

Then the door busted open, almost making Geoff squeal even though he knew they were coming.

"Sir, have you seen a man who looks nineteen years old, about 6'2", green mohawk, piercings, black buttoned up shirt, a gray undershirt with a small skull on it?" one of the officers asked firmly, looking around suspiciously.

"Sorry, officer person, I didn't," Geoff lied smoothly. He used to be the worst liar ever considering he's nice and honest with everyone, but Duncan helped him with that, not that he minded. He needed to lie for good use. Lying for your best friend for years is good use.

The officer nodded. "Okay, then, sir. If you see anyone that fits that description, please inform us immediately. You have a good night, sir." They all left hastily.

Geoff breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at the comforter rope under his couch. He held it up, examining the unbelievable tight knots.

"Damn," he sighed, "how the hell am I going to untie this?" Somebody rang the doorbell. "How the hell am I going to explain this to Bridgette?"

Meanwhile, Duncan was busy rummaging through the apartment he broke in since he felt like going into this apartment for no reason why. It was obviously a girl's apartment, but not girlie. It was simple and not too flashy. He could easily tell she was one of the plain girls. Definitely not his type.

He heard somebody gasp from behind him. He quickly turned around and was feeling immensely lusty. There was an incredibly hot brunette only in a towel which was short, showing her long, tan, slender legs. Her hair was color mocha, and her eyes were onyx. She also had a _very _nice rack, which turned him on. Heck, everything turned him on!

The girl's cheeks were red. "Who the—?!" she was about to yell. Duncan quickly grabbed the girl, his left hand on the small part of her back—which was dangerously low—and his right hand covering her mouth.

The girl, Courtney, was embarrassed, infuriated, and strangely feeling very attracted to this man. He had a green mohawk which was not the type that just stands stiffly, but the kind that is sort of spiky and just flows. He had piercings and a spiked collar. He was tall, about 6'2" or so, and was muscular, but not too extreme like those steroid people. He had teal eyes which were intense and full of…lust? To narrow it down, he was unbelievable gorgeous. But that didn't mean he was her type no matter how gorgeous he is.

Duncan smirked as he saw "Princess"—he started to call her that, for her knew that name somehow fit her—appraise him with wide eyes. He knew he was hot.

He heard the fatties open the doors. They were close. He pulled Princess closer, keeping his mouth on her soft lips.

Courtney was still in a daze and didn't even push him away. This was so not like her at all. Then she quickly snapped out of it and tried struggling in his gentle but tight grip—as if there was ever such thing as that!

_Damn, Princess is strong for a girl, _he thought as she kept struggling. He put his mouth close near her ear.

"Hey, Princess, stop struggling. I'm in a middle of a mess—can you help me? The cops are looking for me, and I need for you to check if they're about halfway inside one of the apartments and talking shit to one of the people who inhabits in there, so I could escape," Duncan whispered quickly.

"Why would I help _you_—a _criminal_?" Courtney mumbled under his large hand.

He smirked. "Well, I _could _always tie you to the bed and do fun, e—"

She blushed. "I—I wouldn't let you, you pervert! I can fight you!" She was tough and confident; he liked that.

He scoffed. "Puh-_lease_, Princess. I'm a _criminal_; so therefore, I'm also a _skilled _fighter. Look at these guns!" He chuckled lowly when he saw her roll her eyes at him. "So, could you _please _help me? And if you do, I can give you a _reward_." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Courtney snorted in disgust. It was amazing on how he could understand her when she talked quite incoherently due to his large hand on her mouth.

"Ew, you can keep your reward for somebody else," she retorted with disgust in her voice.

He chuckled again, and slowly released her, looking at her with suspicious eyes. She may be hot, but he's a criminal, so he's _always _suspicious of people. She quickly walked towards the window and peeked out, opening the window slightly and quietly.

"They're currently speaking to Mr. Johnson. They're three doors away. You have time," Courtney informed. She looked at him, and then glared when he saw him staring at her barely covered butt. "You're being chased by cops, and you're wasting time being perverted?!"

He grinned seductively at her. "There's _always _time to be perverted no matter what the situation is, Princess."

She was about to tell him to stop calling her that when suddenly, he came up extremely close to her.

"Thanks, Princess," he whispered huskily, and then kissed her roughly but also gently on the lips.

Courtney's eyes widened, and she blushed madly. _He has soft lips,_ she thought. Then her denial side came out. _Courtney, he's not your type! This is a _criminal_—a _perverted _criminal!_

Duncan released her unbelievably soft lips, and then winked at her. He quietly opened the door, and saw the officers talking to some lady. He looked back at Courtney, smirked, and then jumped down from the building.

Courtney was shocked. She was half-naked in front of a pervert. She was touched by a pervert. She was hit on by a pervert. She _helped _a pervert. She got kissed by a pervert. And the pervert jumped off from the building—even though her apartment is only on the second floor, this building was big.

The officers went in, looking confused when they saw the door open and her half-naked. The criminal was right; they _were _fat.

Courtney blushed again. This has got to be her most embarrassing moment ever. Why did she shower at night all the time at the wrong time? The first time was when she got stuck in the bathroom for five hours. It was horrible. They were more embarrassing moments, but there were too many to list down.

One of the officers stepped up, blushing slightly. He was the only skinny one. "Um, Miss, have—have you seen a man about 6'2", looks about nineteen years old, green mohawk, black polo, gray undershirt with a tiny skull on it?" he asked, not looking at her face. At least he had the decency to _not look_—unlike like one little criminal in her mind.

Courtney smiled weakly. "No, officer, I haven't. And yes, I'll inform you if I ever see a person who fits that description," she said, lying smoothly.

He nodded. "Thank you, Ma'am. And you have a good night. Make sure you lock your door and windows. You'll never know when some pervert might come busting in, okay?" he said sternly, though he was still blushing.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _You're a little too late, officer, _she thought. "Yes, of course I will. Good night."

They all immediately left, and Courtney closed the door.

She sighed, and went to change into her pajamas. After that, she did all of her necessities and lay down on her bed.

This was just so implausible for Courtney. Nobody would _never_ believe her if she ever told them—besides Bridgette probably or Geoff since he believes _anyone_.

Courtney groaned. Why did this happen to her?

"What the hell is his name?" she muttered. _Damn it, Courtney, why do you care?!_

--

Duncan was roaming around the dark streets. He wasn_'_t frightened of murderers, thieves, or gangsters. He experienced those kind of people, and he _is _a thief.

Princess suddenly popped into his mind, and he grinned. That girl was _hot_. He could never stop thinking that. He's seen other hot girls, but Princess was _definitely _the hottest of the hottest of the hottest! She was a great kisser, but he knew that he stole her first kiss. Her lips were inexperienced—they didn't even move!—and he kissed girls who looked like they have kissed many boys, but they didn't.

He tried to stop thinking about Princess. She was just any other girl he'd come across on. He checks them out, flirts, and tries to score them. But somehow he didn't want to get into her pants—okay, that was a lie. He didn't try to _persuade _her in giving him consent to her pants. He just felt like it wasn't right.

Which was _so _not like him.

Duncan thought of a place to stay, but Princess's image kept getting in the way. _What the hell is wrong with me? _he thought. _What did that chick just do to me?_

"What the hell is her name?" he mumbled, scratching his neck. _Damn it, Duncan, why do you care?!_

--

**Well, this is my first _Total Drama Island_ story! I hope you like it! I actually did this a long, long time ago, but I forgot about it. Ha-ha. **

**And I know the title is so unoriginal, but it seemed to fit to me! If I seemed to have copied another person's story title, please tell me, so I can change. That's if _they_ were the ones who had it _before _me. ;D  
**

**I _love _making summary dialogues. So don't be surprised when you see a lot of them in my story summaries.**

**Another thing, I know Duncan is the type to say the _'_F_' _word, but I just don't like that word. I'll mostly use mild cussing. :) Once or twice I'll put major cussing, but that_'_s rare. I did use one major cuss here in this chapter. Just because I write people cussing doesn_'_t mean _I _necessarily cuss. Only the mild ones, like _"_crap_."_  
**

**Review if you love Duncan x Courtney!**

**Monica-san**


	2. Love and Denial

Courtney heard a loud _bang _from the front door. She quickly opened it to see Bridgette on the floor, rubbing her head.

"You know, if you send me a frantic message in my answering machine, saying that I have to be here ASAP, you could at least make the door _unlocked_ so I won't smash my head!" Bridgette shouted, taking Courtney's hand to stand.

Courtney smiled. "Sorry, Bridge, I forgot," she said sheepishly.

Bridgette gasped dramatically. "This situation must be serious. You _never _forget anything!"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha-ha, Bridge." She headed towards the kitchen, yelling, "Do you want some coffee?!"

Bridgette yelled, "Yeah!" and plopped herself on the couch.

After making their coffee, Courtney gave one of it to Bridgette, taking a seat next to her.

Bridgette took a sip. "So…what was so important?" she questioned. "You almost broke my answering machine by your loud shrieking voice."

Courtney ignored the last sentence. "There's this guy…," she started.

"Oh, my gosh! You _like _someone?! You've _never _had a crush since pre-school! This is impossible, Court!" Bridgette shouted.

Courtney glared at her. "Will you just let me finish my sentence?"

Bridgette grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. Go on."

"As I was saying, there's this guy who was suddenly inside my apartment! He came from the window, and was obviously a criminal. He was freaking _hitting on me_! It was so eerie and aggravating at the same time! He obviously doesn't comprehend the term 'personal space' either! It was so unbelievable! Then you know what he did?! _He kissed me on the lips! _Totally vile, am I right?!" Courtney shouted in one breath. Her fists were clenched tightly, and she was red with anger—or was she…?

Bridgette didn't seem shocked or anything Courtney predicted a regular human's reaction would be after hearing that implausible story. She was looking mischievous and had a knowing look on.

"Wh—What?!" Courtney shouted, outraged. "Why are you looking all roguish?! You're supposed to say something like, 'Oh, my gosh, that _actually _happened?!' or something correlated to that!"

Bridgette smirked. "You _like _this secret criminal, right?" she asked slyly.

Courtney gasped out loud. "How could you think that, Bridge?! I just met him a day ago, and you actually think I'm attracted to that—that—that illicit?!" she sputtered out.

"Courtney, Courtney, Courtney," Bridgette sighed. "Look—it's pretty obvious that you are _attracted _to him whether you like it or not. You can't control your heart; it controls _you_."

Courtney was perplexed. "Bridgette, why are you suddenly speaking like a love doctor?! I'm telling you that a perverted criminal was in my apartment flirting with me, and you suddenly have this conception that I'm _attracted _to him?! Is there something wrong with you?!"

"It's not a conception, Court; I _know _that you're attracted to this mysterious criminal." Bridgette smiled mischievously. "Is he hot?"

"No way! He's a criminal, so he's obviously not attractive! And how would I know?! I didn't spend my leisure time staring at him!"

Bridgette rolled her eyes at her. "Not _all _criminals are unattractive—some are pretty hot. So, I'll ask again: Is he hot? You better answer it and not give an evasive answer."

"Well, you watch too much television," Courtney mumbled. "And…I _guess _he was…hot. He was really muscular, but not too extreme. He had a green mohawk, which wasn't all too stiff-like. He had multiples of piercings—three on his left ear, one on his right, a piercing on his left eyebrow, and a nose piercing. He was about 6'2" or 6'3"-ish. To narrow it down, he looked like a bad boy."

Bridgette laughed. "You contradicted yourself, you know? You said you didn't spend your free time staring at him when you actually did! Nobody who doesn't stare at the opposite sex can describe somebody with that long description, Courtney."

Courtney blushed. "I made you _too _smart."

"Yeah, I learned from a little up-tight girl," Bridgette retorted, receiving a glare from said person. "And I have another thing to say: you are in denial. Since you're the most stubborn person I know, it'll probably take a long time for you to finally get out of that denial state."

"I don't like him. He's a _criminal,_ who forced himself upon me. That could be regarded as sexual harassment. I could report him, because I know an accurate description of him. And"—Bridgette smirked, remembering that I _contradicted _myself—"Shut up. And he could be sent back to jail where he belongs."

"It wouldn't be labeled as sexual harassment if you liked it."

Courtney growled. "I _did not _enjoy those contaminated lips on mine at all! I was completely caught off-guard, so I couldn't hit him where the 'sun don't shine.'"

Bridgette smiled. "Like I said, you're in _denial_."

--

Duncan was lying down on the guest bed of Trent's house. This guy wasn't rich, but he had a humongous house! It was almost like a castle.

He sighed and looked out the window, thinking of Princess again.

_Why can't I get her damn face out of my head?! Yeah, she's hot. Big whoop. But _come on_! She's just a regular girl who's freaking hot! I've seen hot girls like her, and I _never _have their faces glued to my brain! _he shouted internally.

He heard a knock on the door.

"Come in, Trent," Duncan said lazily. "This is _your _freaking house—you don't have to knock."

Trent came in, smiling. "I'm just being polite," he answered, holding a tray of delicious food.

Trent is the complete opposite of Duncan. He gets good grades, the teachers like him, he's athletic, _both of his parents _like him, he plays the guitar professionally, and he's polite to girls. You could say he's considered as the "Man of Every Girl's Dream" and "The Boy All Parents Want." But even though he's the nicest guy ever, he _still _has his man hormones.

The reason why he's friends with his antithesis is because he's good to talk to. Although he's never experienced what Duncan has, in a way, he understands. He empathizes with you. And he can be a little bad once in a while, you know.

"Dude, since when were you my wife?" Duncan joked, referring to the apron on Trent and the tray of food. It also has a _freaking _flower!

Trent blushed. "Don't tell Gwen about this," he pleaded. "I don't want her to see my un-manly side. And I like wearing aprons. I don't know why, though." He set the tray on the nightstand.

"That smells delicious, Elvis," Duncan complimented. "I never knew you were a good cook." He grabbed the tray and took a bite from the egg. He groaned in satisfaction. "This is amazing."

Trent smiled sheepishly. "Um, actually, my mom made that for you. I told her you were sleeping over in the guest room, and she immediately ran to the kitchen, looking excited."

Duncan grinned. He always knew his mom had a crush on him even though she's married. It was pretty apparent, but there was one time when she confessed to him:

--

_Duncan rudely came in the house, and he automatically plopped himself on Trent's couch. Trent's mother, Veronica, came out from the kitchen, knowing it was Duncan, holding a plate of sandwiches._

"'_Sup, Veronica," Duncan greeted, taking a sandwich. "Where's Trent?"_

_Veronica giggled. "He's at the video store. We're going to watch some movies together. Max is currently in a business trip—again," she informed him, taking a seat next to him._

"_Damn, how many times will he go on business trips?" Duncan inquired incoherently; his mouth was full._

_She sighed sadly. "Apparently his boss is so demanding. One thing after another. I pretty much never see him now. When he comes home, he's dead tired. He tries to make up his absences by treating us to fancy restaurants, but that's all he can do." She looked like she was about to cry._

_Duncan hated it when people, especially girls, cry. He never knew what to do. He awkwardly patted her knee._

"_Er…it's, um, okay, Veron," Duncan muttered. "At least you still, uh, see him…?" He made it like a question._

_Veronica sniffled, and then smiled fondly at Duncan. "Yes, you're absolutely right!" she exclaimed. She pinched Duncan's cheek. "You are so nice, Duncan!"_

_He chuckled nervously. "Uh, thanks…"_

"_You know, you always reminded me of Max when he was your age. He wasn't a bad boy or anything, but your appearance reminds me of him." Veronica giggled quietly. "It's like déjà vu."_

"_Your husband had a green mohawk and piercings?"_

"_No. Your face is similar to his. You are a very, very, very handsome boy, Duncan. Despite your behavior, I'm pretty sure girls are attracted to you physically, right?" she teased._

_Duncan blushed. He wasn't used to polite compliments like these—he only heard hot, sexy, and all those other impolite adjectives._

"_Th-Thanks, Mrs. Martinez," Duncan stuttered._

_Veronica grinned. "Why are you acting all polite now? Max wasn't a bad boy like you, but he wasn't polite either. He never knew how to be polite."_

"_Why are you telling me this?"_

"_Because you're amenable like him."_

--

He had to use the dictionary to find out what that meant.

Okay, maybe she didn't really have a crush on him. He just exaggerated a bit. But she was fond of him, because he was like her husband when he was young.

"You okay, man?" Trent asked, taking a chair next to the bed and sitting on it. "You look…troubled. What's on your mind?"

Duncan sighed, running a hand through his mohawk. "There's this girl…," he started, "and…she's…hot."

Trent was confused. "Um…okay, then—what about her? She was bad at bed or what?" he teased.

Duncan chuckled a bit. See what he was talking about? "No, man. I didn't get it on with her than I usually do. I was in a…predicament."

Trent knew this was serious. Duncan had horrible grades, but that didn't mean he wasn't smart. He learned things in prison; he just doesn't use his brain sometimes since he's lazy. Whenever Duncan is serious about something, he occasionally uses acute words. It just naturally comes out, and Duncan doesn't even know it.

"Duncan, you have to be more specific," Trent said, still confused.

Duncan took a deep breath. "I escaped a 'highly guarded' prison," he said sarcastically.

"As usual."

"I stayed—or _hid,_ being the better word—at Geoff's apartment for a while yesterday. We were just chilling and talking, and then we heard the fatties coming door to door, checking if I was here. I escaped, and jumped through a window.

"There was an amazingly hot girl in a towel. At first she wasn't there, so I just looked around her apartment. She was freaking hot, dude, I swear. I started to hit on her of course, but…inside of me didn't want to…have sex with her… I mean, I _wanted _to—who wouldn't want to? It's just…I felt like it was wrong, you know?

"Surprisingly, she helped me escape. I kissed her as a reward since she didn't want _other things_ if you know what I mean—I was just joking, though. She was inexperienced, but they were the softest lips known to man, dude. It's just…wow." Courtney's face appeared yet again in his head.

Trent grinned. "That was a long story," he noted.

"Well, what am I going to do now? Princess's face keeps popping up into my head. It's getting annoying." Duncan scratched his head roughly.

"Princess?"

"I named her that. I don't know why—probably because she looks like those prissy little daughters or somethin'."

Trent laughed. "Well…I guess it's love at first sight, Duncan."

Duncan snorted. "What the hell, man? What's with this love crap? I just met her, and I don't believe in all that 'love at first sight' trash."

"It's pretty believable to me. You've met other pretty girls, and you _never _have this situation. It's obvious."

"That's what I've been saying, man! I can't get her out of my mind! It's like I'm losing my mind over some princess! It's just not right! I am so freaking confused!" Duncan clutched his head.

"That's what you get for not using your brain much," Trent teased.

Duncan glared at him. "You are so freaking lucky you're one of my best dudes or else I would've stuck your head in the microwave."

"How do you feel about her?" Trent questioned.

"What do you mean _how do I feel about her_?"

"Do you feel any attraction towards her? Do you feel contempt towards her? What?"

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Trent, I just _met _her. I don't feel anything towards her. Nothing more than a little physical attraction. Sure she seemed fun to tease, but that's it. She's like my little toy, but I lost that toy."

"Simile, huh?" Trent muttered, smirking. "You contradicted yourself."

"Eh?"

Maybe he wasn't _really _that smart. "You said that disagreed with what I just said earlier, and now look at Mr. Hypocrite. You _do _feel something towards her. Physical attraction is related to the word attraction."

"Just because it has the word attraction doesn't mean they are related," Duncan grumbled childishly. "And it's not the same thing! It's not _love_." He grimaced.

"Dude, I got one thing to say: you're in denial."

"I'm _never _in denial."

"Never say never."

--

**Okay, this is showing Duncan and Courtney's best friends' reactions. **

**Yeah, I know. Late update. Stupid school.**

**Please review!**

**Monica-san**


	3. Disturbing Images and The Virgin Manager

Duncan was currently being interviewed by the manager of _Starbucks_, Frank Harrington. He seemed to be a meek virgin in Duncan's point of view. He looked about twenty-two years old, though Duncan looked much older than him—in a good way. He was a puny man, compared to Duncan's 6'2" stature.

Normally, Duncan wouldn't get a chance to be interviewed in popular jobs like this. He would usually threaten the owner of the job he was interested in, and, like magic, he's an employee in that job the next day. Now, he didn't have to do that since Trent suggested him, and Frank trusted Trent, Duncan guessed.

"Okay, Mr. Evans—," Frank started quietly.

"Please call me 'Duncan,' dude," Duncan cut off, grinning. _This is gonna be good, _he thought happily.

"Um, okay…Duncan. We will begin your interview. I assume you are a well-mannered man"—Duncan had to smirk at that—"judging from Trent's opinion. His friend works here, and he's a regular customer, so you'll be seeing him a lot." Frank clicked his pen and adjusted his clipboard. "Now, do you have a resume?"

Duncan shook his head. "Sorry, Frankie, I don't. This was sort of last minute, so I didn't have the time. Just ask me the questions that are necessary for this interview thing, and write it on your little clipboard, m'kay?"

Frank nodded shyly. "All right… Please state your full name, Duncan."

"Duncan Aiden Evans. Next, if you may."

"Um…your age please."

"Younger than you," Duncan joked. "Nah, just joking, man. I'm nineteen years old."

Frank cleared his throat nervously. "Your nationality?"

Duncan pursed his lips. "Wow, dude, I never thought about that…" Then he snapped his fingers suddenly, surprising Frank. "I'm half Italian and half Canadian. I can sort of speak Italian and understand it. I was _forced _to learn it from Granny." He shuddered at the memory.

"Uh, okay. When is your date of birth, Mr.—I mean, Duncan?"

"July 7, 1990. I expect a present from you, Frankie. I hope it's something with the word 'Playboy' in it if you know what I'm saying." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Or, if not, a _Harley _motorcycle—the latest one."

Frank blushed at the "Playboy" part. "What are your special qualities?"

"As I said earlier, I can sort of speak Italian—if that counts. I can pierce your earlobe, your bellybutton, your ass, anything! I can draw tattoos anywhere. I can carve skulls. I can do some awesome tagging. I can—"

"S-Sorry to interrupt, Duncan, but how about something that you don't usually do every day? Something not a lot of people know about, and is also useful for this job."

"Er, I know that the Italian part is useful." Duncan didn't want to say this, but he can trust Puny Frankie. "I can…act really well. I was in a play once, and got the lead part. I'm very athletic—I love soccer. I can fight, which is useful for robbers or whatever. And, other than tagging, I can draw pretty well. If you want me to draw a naked chick for your logo, I'd happily oblige."

"O-Okay…then. Did you have any jobs before this? If so, name them please."

"I used to work at a mechanic shop, tattoo parlor, piercing parlor, but that's together with the tattoo parlor, so yeah, and…that's pretty much."

"Now, tell me, why do you want to work here?"

"'Cause I need the money and this is the only place left for me."

Frank straightened up in his chair. "Well, Duncan, after a couple of days, you will receive a call about whether or not you got the job, okay?"

Duncan pouted. "Why can't you just hire me now?" he complained.

"I have to see if this information you gave me are true, and I—"

"Dude, I'm telling you the truth. Are you being like this just because I'm obviously a bad boy? Judging people is a no-no, Frankie-boy. And let me tell you this: I have my high school diploma. I even got accepted into some universities. They're not all fancy like Harvard or Yale, but at least I got accepted. I _need _this, man," Duncan practically pleaded. "I know I have criminal records, but I'll _try _to be a good citizen for you." He added, "Please."

Frank sighed. "This is an infraction…but you're an exception since you are desperate. I can tell you're not lying, Duncan."

"Jeez, Frank, if you knew that I wasn't lying, why couldn't you just hire me right then and there instead of hearing me plead. I _hate_ pleading; it makes me weak and vulnerable—like you."

Frank's cheeks were tinted pink. "Um…I'm not—," he began.

"Frank, you're the manager of this place. In order for your employees to respect you, you have to be assertive. Be _bossy_. That's part of your job, dude. Don't make them take advantage of you. You're the _leader _of this place, so _act like it_," Duncan encouraged.

Frank was surprised. He didn't know Duncan could be so inspiring or encouraging.

"I—I will," he stuttered.

Duncan grinned. "Good. So, do I get the job or not?"

"Of course you do. I did say it earlier, right?"

"Well, Frankie-boy, you just made the right choice ever."

--

Courtney was currently pigging out with Bridgette at a fast-food restaurant, known as the famous _McDonalds_. She ate two large packs of fries, two Whoppers, and one McChicken. Bridgette doesn't even eat _that _much!

"Courtney, stop thinking about that supposedly-hot criminal," Bridgette sighed.

"I'm not," Courtney replied incoherently, stuffing more nuggets in her mouth.

"Yes, you are. You're stress-eating. It's what you do when you're stressed out over something. Stop eating, or else you'll be unhealthy, filled with cholesterol sticking to your body."

"Ugh, you're like a mom sometimes." Courtney pushed away the nuggets, and started drinking her fruit punch.

Bridgette laughed. "But seriously, stop eating. You'll regret it afterwards and start to whine about how unfit you are. Then you'll go overboard in exercising."

"At least I don't get too insecure to the point of anorexia," Courtney pointed out.

"That's good." Then Bridgette smiled slyly. "It seems you can't get Mr. Criminal out of your mind, eh? Do you _like _him?"

"His face keeps popping into my mind randomly, which isn't the fault of love. I don't like him," Courtney retorted robotically. She pulled the nuggets back and started nibbling on one.

"Yeah, you say that, but your actions speak otherwise. You're eating again, so obviously your thinking about him; and right now, you are blushing."

Courtney immediately touched her cheeks, feeling the warmth on it. "My body is currently mal-malfunctioning! That's probably the answer to my outlandish actions, s-so, in conclusion, it is not associated with th-that perverted criminal!"

Bridgette sighed. Her best friend _is _in denial. She sometimes wished Courtney wasn't so stubborn. That way she won't have to go through the long process to which she _finally _realizes she _is _attracted to this mysterious criminal. She almost felt sorry for her, but it's her best friend's fault for being in denial. There must be some part of her sub-conscious that's telling Courtney that she is too indeed attracted to him.

"Do you know his name?" Bridgette asked out of the blue.

"No, I don't, and I don't want to know."

Bridgette knew this was useless. She knew that Courtney had to find out on her own, and she just had to guide her. It's the only thing she can do.

"Whatever you say. Now, let's go visit Geoff's apartment. I haven't seen him in days since you started talking about your hot criminal," Bridgette teased.

Courtney blushed. "Bridgette, that is _so _not funny! And he is _not _my hot criminal!" She paused. "Neither is he hot!"

Denial.

--

As soon as Geoff opened the door, he and Bridgette started making out, leaving Courtney uncomfortable and disgusted. It's like they've never seen each other for years or something! She would _never _understand, so she didn_'_t comment about it.

Courtney cleared her throat loudly.

Geoff and Bridgette immediately ceased their lip molding, and blushed. Geoff chuckled nervously.

"Hey, Mocha," he greeted sheepishly. Ever since Courtney met Geoff, he always called her "Mocha" or "Mocha-Loca." He'd sometimes call her "Latte" or something related to coffee. It was weird, but that was Geoff.

"Hey, Geoff," she greeted back, smiling.

Geoff grinned. "I believe in the term 'A greet and an embrace puts a smile on a face,'" he hinted.

Courtney laughed and hugged him. She loved Geoff almost to the point of sibling love. He was one of her best friends, and she cared about him a lot.

After that, they all sauntered to the living room, where they saw the TV showing _Stoked. _Geoff loved cartoons. They all plopped on the couch. Courtney felt weird, because she was the third-wheel. She didn't want to intrude in Bridgette and Geoff's time. But they wouldn't care, because they love Courtney a lot—or probably because they would forget about her while making out.

"So, what's the 411, ladies?" Geoff asked.

"Courtney met a guy," Bridgette said, smirking.

Geoff gasped like a gay person and smiled slyly. "Oh, details, darling."

Bridgette grimaced.

"Well, it's not really all that important, so we shouldn't talk about it, okay? A pervert came in through my window. End of conversation," Courtney said tersely.

Geoff grinned. "You met a guy! This calls for a party, Mocha! You _finally _like someone!" he cried happily.

Bridgette rolled her eyes at her long-time boyfriend. "Geoff, not _everything _calls for a party. Besides, what kind of occasion is that?"

Geoff scoffed, looking offended. "_Hello_, Bridge—_everything _does _so _call for a party. This is a _good _thing. Everybody who knows Courtney knows that she _never _liked anyone. Some people thought she was swinging the other way; that's sort of hot, but weird since Courtney's like a sista' to me. And you _should _celebrate—it'll be called 'Courtney Finally Has a Crush, So We Should Celebrate It!' celebration."

Bridgette narrowed her eyes at him. Even if their relationship may be going smoothly, there are times when they fight over the little things, which causes some minor breakups. You could say they have an "on and off" relationship.

"Guys, come on—it's just a guy. And I do not have a liking towards him! You both shouldn't make a big deal out of my personal life. Now, let's be happy." With that, she put on huge smile.

Bridgette and Geoff laughed.

"Not that I mind you being here, but aren't you supposed to be at work?" Geoff inquired.

"I asked for a one week vacation," Courtney replied. "My mind is totally messed up right now, and I _really _need a break."

"From a certain hot cri—," Bridgette added slyly.

"Shut _up_, Bridge!" Courtney hissed. "Your assumptions are _really _irritating!"

Bridgette merely grinned, and shared knowing look with Geoff, who was also grinning.

"I like your job, Courtney; it really matches you," Geoff said happily.

"I think the manager's cute," Bridgette joked.

Geoff glared at her. "The manager's not cute! He's weird! Why in the world would you think that weird dude is _cute_?" He said the word as if it was taboo.

Bridgette rolled her eyes. "He isn't weird, Geoff. And he's just so nice to everyone! Why in the world don't _you _like him?"

"He _stares _at people, like he wants to eat them or something. His eyes are so creepy-looking, too! It's just—I just don't like him!"

"What, are you _jealous _that I think he's cute? Geoff, I said he was cute; I didn't say that I _liked _him. It was a completely harmless comment about somebody who's nice!"

Geoff and Bridgette continued to argue over her manager, which made Courtney exasperated and annoyed. She left the apartment inconspicuously, and headed to her apartment.

"Jeez, they act like an old married couple," Courtney muttered.

And with a heavy sigh, she continued walking to her apartment.

--

"Trent, dude, do you think it's…possible that I might meet Princess again?" Duncan asked, wiping the dish with a dry rag.

Trent scrubbed the dishes hard to take out the bits of food off. "Probably. That's fate's job, Duncan. What happens, happens, okay? You just have to be patient. I don't know, but maybe you'll unexpectedly come across 'Princess' again."

Duncan sighed heavily. "Ugh, I can't stop thinking about her! Princess is making me crazy! Look—I'm saying cheesy things like, 'Will I ever meet her again?' and it's totally pissing me off!" He accidentally broke the dish he was drying off. "Oh, Trent, man, I'm sorry. My hands were putting too much pressure on it. I'll pay you back."

Trent was astounded. He knew Duncan was strong, but not _that _strong. _Wow, this Princess is sure affecting Duncan a lot, _he thought.

"U-Uh, it's okay, man. My mom was going to throw that dish away, because it seemed plain to her," Trent assured his criminal friend.

Duncan started to clean up the mess he made. Trent told him he didn't have to, but it was the least Duncan would do. While he cleaned, he kept muttering a string of profanities under his breath.

Suddenly they both heard the door open. It was too early for Veronica to come home. Who else had the key? Certainly not Gwen, because she felt like the key wasn't for her to keep.

"Trent?" a deep voice called. "Trent, is that you in the kitchen?"

"Dad?" Trent called back.

A tall man walked in the kitchen, wearing a business suit. He was carrying a briefcase and was shrugging himself out of his tie. He looked like a regular business man, and he looked deadly tired. He had Trent's black hair. He had sullen-looking, green eyes. Duncan's never seen Trent's dad before.

Trent walked over and gave his dad a pat on the back. "Welcome back, Dad," Trent greeted warmly. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Trent's dad, Max, returned the pat, and laughed a deep chortle. "Same here, Son," he replied. "I'm sorry that my boss is being so demanding and up-tight."

Duncan couldn't stifle the chuckle coming out of his mouth. He never knew Trent's pops was so funny. It sort of reminded Duncan of him—except much less harsh than Duncan's jeers.

Max looked down where Duncan was cleaning the mess he made earlier. "Are you Duncan?" he questioned.

Duncan threw away the remaining glass before replying. "Yes, I am. Are you the infamous Max?" he joked.

Max smiled. "Why, yes, I am. Veronica gushes over you a lot over the phone. I was getting a bit envious of you, though that feeling went away as soon as that the 'cutie-man' was just a kid."

Duncan smirked. _So Max likes to say what he thinks, eh? I like that, _he thought. "Well, I always thought the 'knight in shining armor except not _that _shiny' would look a bit intimidating." He sighed dramatically. "I guess not."

Max laughed. "I like you, Duncan." Then he yawned. "Sorry, boys, I gotta hit the hay. Don't tell your mom I'm here, okay? I want to surprise her." He left to his bedroom.

"Cool dad," Duncan commented.

Trent smiled softly. "Yeah…he is." Then he snapped his fingers. "Oh! I forgot to tell you! We're holding a celebration for Gwen three days from now."

"Uh, why?"

"Dude, it's a welcome back commemoration for her. Geoff'll love that." Trent chuckled. "She'll be coming back from her art class trip to Paris. I want to do something special for her." He blushed.

Duncan smirked. "Well, okay, then, I'm game. Will there be any…alcoholic drinks?" he whispered eagerly.

Trent shook his head. "Sorry, no. I'm keeping it clean and fresh. Maybe another time, Duncan. Gwen's not really fond of beer, remember?"

Duncan grimaced. "Man!" he whined. "But she likes wine! You can at least bring that for her!"

"Okay, then."

Trent and Duncan walked to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Trent turned the TV on, and started looking through the channels.

"So, who's going to the party?" Duncan asked, putting his feet on the coffee table.

"All of our close friends, like of course Geoff, you, Lindsay—"

Duncan groaned. "The ditz? Man, she always thought my name was Dylan!"

"Well, she _is _our friend. Let's see…Beth—"

"The wannabe? When I first met her, she was talking non-stop about one of her old boyfriends being a punk like me. The next day I saw her, she was wearing freaking punk clothes, and it looked nasty on her!"

Trent laughed. "Well, that's Beth, and you like her—in a way. Umm…Justin—"

"Dude, no please. He is the most conceited Ken doll I have ever met—worse than me! All he does is carry a compact mirror with him and smile at his reflection. The freak's practically in love with himself!"

"In a way, he's our friend. Hmm…DJ, Owen—" Trent stopped. "Aren't you going to interrupt me?"

Duncan grinned. "Nah, I like Owen. He's one of our best buds, remember? That dude is awesome. Including DJ. Go on."

"Izzy—"

"Hell no!" Duncan yelled. "That crazy chick almost sawed off my arm at that Halloween party you threw last year! She was dressed as a murderer and was flailing around her supposedly fake saw! No freaking way is she going to be at that party."

"I'll bring sedatives and give them to Owen. They _are _dating."

"Weird couple."

"Nah, the weirdest couple is Leshawna and Harold." Trent laughed. "Totally unbelievable, dude!"

Duncan joined in his laughter. "Oh yeah! That ghetto chick and that geeky nerd! I'm okay with them, but Harold is annoying to me. I like pranking him, though."

"Who doesn't? Okay…Bridgette—"

"Geoff's surfer girlfriend? She's cool. I don't really know her, but Malibu's a cool chick," Duncan commented.

"And last but not least, Courtney," Trent finished.

Duncan was confused. "Who's Courtney?"

"You've never met Courtney?" Trent was shocked. "Duncan, Courtney's like one of our best gals! You haven't _met _her yet?"

Duncan shook his head. "Well, no. I've never seen that Courtney chick at your parties."

"Oh, that's right. Courtney's not the partying type. She prefers to study. You could say she's an overachiever. She's a bit up-tight, but other than that, she's an awesome friend. The most mature out of us all—well, other than Gwen, that is."

Duncan furrowed his eyebrows. "Huh. Courtney, eh? All of us have been together for a long time, and I've never met this chick. That's weird. Tell me about her."

"Well, like I said, she's an overachiever; always studies and pretty much never has fun. Her family is rich, but Courtney's down-to-earth. She's amazingly smart and is really sweet. She's Gwen, Leshawna, Lindsay, Beth, and especially Bridgette's best friend. She's close to all of us, and she_'_s practically like a sister to Geoff."

"Geoff never mentioned about her," Duncan mused.

"Bridgette, well, she doesn't really trust you… That's why she told—_forced_—Geoff not to tell you about her. But—but other than her trust issues with you, she likes you!" Trent sputtered.

Duncan smirked. "Malibu's wise. Well, I wouldn't blame her. I _am _a criminal. You know, I've only talked to her on the phone, but I've never seen her. Only a picture of her, though. She's never seen a picture of me. Apparently Geoff thinks I might 'snatch her away with my criminal claws.'"

"Girls _do _fawn over you," Trent pointed out.

Duncan grinned smugly. "Enough about me—for now. Back to the chick, Courtney, is she hot?"

"She's… Well, I don't feel comfortable calling her 'hot.' It's just weird. So she's very beautiful. She doesn't even try. Oh, and she is strong."

"Stronger than that rage-aholic, Eva?" Duncan joked.

"Probably."

Duncan liked that. This Courtney chick sounds interesting.

Duncan asked, "Is she spoiled?"

"No. She doesn't spend her time buying fancy things. She's too focused on her future to even do girl stuff. But her parents like to buy her stuff, even though they're annoying and pushy."

"You mean…like a princess?" Duncan asked quietly. Princess's face popped into his mind. _Crap, _he thought.

"You could say that. She's completely the opposite of you." Trent grinned slyly. "She has a secret, though. Something that all of us knows. She's not good at hiding it, but she still tries to. She doesn't want to tell anybody, because it might ruin her 'goody-goody' image." He laughed.

Duncan wanted to know. "What is it?"

"You have to get to know her first and find out yourself, Duncan. Let me tell you this: it's _really _surprising."

Duncan smirked. A challenge. "I'll find out," he announced. "Most definitely."

--

Oh yeah, that's just what Courtney needed. That's what she _really _needed.

She went to go back to Geoff's apartment to see if they were okay, but _this _is what she saw.

Bridgette and Geoff making out on top of the table. Awesome.

Courtney screamed and ran out of the apartment, scaring Bridgette and Geoff.

"What the hell was that?" Geoff asked.

Bridgette shrugged. "I don't know; probably a banshee or something." She grabbed his face and continued making out with him.

Courtney rested against the railing just outside her apartment. _That was a late reaction_, she thought.

Well, it wasn't Courtney's fault she pictured her and that mysterious, hot criminal making out, and couldn't help but enjoy that fantasy.

But Courtney didn't know that.

--

**Well, there you have it. **

**Poor Courtney—she always sees things she doesn't want to see.**

**Ooh, Duncan finds out about Courtney, who, in actuality, is Princess, but he doesn't know about it, and he's clearly attracted to her, so therefore he's attracted to Courtney, who he never knew about, but will next time on…**

**Total Drama—!**

**Ha-ha. I was having fun there.**

**Review if you thought my crappy author's note was…weird! Or review if you want a toilet bowl cleaner!**

**Monica-san**


	4. Crap and The Meeting

The phone rang, waking Courtney up from her wonderful dream. It was about a hot criminal and he was—

_No, he is not hot! No, it was not a wonderful dream! _Courtney's denial side screamed in her mind.

Courtney tiredly searched for the phone in the dark. She accidentally knocked off her alarm clock off the nightstand. _At least it didn't die under my hands every damn morning._

She pressed the button and put the phone on her ear. "Hello?" she mumbled drowsily.

"What's this I heard about a hot criminal coming in through your window, kissing you?" a voice she knew oh-so-well asked teasingly.

Courtney gasped in astonishment. "Gwen! You're back! How?! When?! Where?! Huh?! What?!" she said happily.

"Yes, I'm back. How you ask? From a noisy airplane. I came back late which was a couple of hours ago. I came back from Paris. I can't answer that 'Huh?!' question, because it seems quite irrational. And I am not going to repeat all of those answers for that last question, 'cause I'm freaking tired."

Courtney smiled. There's the smartass Gwen she knew. She missed her so much ever since she left for her trip to Paris.

"How was your trip, Gwen?!" Courtney exclaimed.

"_Ennuyeusement beau!" _Gwen said. "I ate disgusting food and I met stinky people. It was great!"

Courtney laughed. "I missed you so much! When will I see you?"

"Well, Trent's going to throw a welcome back bash for me. He's so sweet. That'll really get Geoff going. So I'll see you at the party tomorrow probably. And I met a friend; her name's Caroline. She's one of the artists I was with during my trip. She's in Quebec now. You should meet her."

"She's seems interesting coming from you. Did you paint anything awesome that I can see, or is it too depressing?"

Gwen laughed. "Nah, you can see it. I was pretty intimidated by the other artists I was with. But they were all nice. I'm going to bed now, so I'll see you at the party tomorrow." She paused. "Then you can tell me all the details about this _hot _criminal."

Courtney groaned. "Gwen! Did Bridgette tell you?!"

"Well, you know Bridgette—she can't keep a secret from me. Bye!" There was a click and no sound.

Courtney turned off her phone and buried herself under the covers, sighing.

--

Duncan carried the huge pack of drinks to the huge cooler near the door. Trent was currently on the phone with the DJ, and was rearranging the room at the same time. He was totally freaking out.

Duncan set the drinks one by one in the cooler and after that, went toward Trent. He put a hand on Trent's shoulder, surprising Trent. Trent looked at Duncan with wide eyes.

"Whoa, dude, you freaking scared the crap out of me!" he said. "No, man, not you. I was talking to my creepy dude here. So, you'll be coming here at seven o' clock sharp tonight? Okay, good, just making sure. Yeah, I'm freaking out. She's my girlfriend, and I have to make it special… Well…it's not romantic, but it has to be awesome. 'Kay, thanks, James. Bye." He pressed a button.

"Dude, calm down. Gwen will love this party. You throw the greatest parties ever—other than Geoff, that is. Besides, Gwen's not the judgmental type—only by fakes like Heather." Duncan paused. "You didn't invite _Heather_, did you?"

Trent shook his head. "Nah, man. Sure, I invited Heather at my other parties, but not in this one. Gwen hates her, and I'm not inviting her _for_ _her_. Heather will hate me, but she'll get over it. She doesn't hold grudges against me."

"That's because she kissed you at that Truth or Dare game last year," Duncan reminded him, smirking. "Gwen was freaking _pissed_ _off_, man!"

Trent shuddered. "Never. Again."

Duncan laughed, and continued helping set up the party. He did all of the really heavy work while Trent made preparations. His parents were at a fancy hotel, so there are _no _parents.

"Whoo! This party will be _awesome_!" a party voice yelled. Geoff came into view with his girlfriend Bridgette, scowling.

"Jeez, Geoff, you're so freaking loud! Mind your manners! Save your voice for later," Bridgette scolded.

Duncan grinned and made his way over to the blonde couple. He bumped fists with Geoff and nodded at Bridgette who looked like she was in a stupor. This worried Duncan—he knew he was hot, and that Bridgette was…pretty, but this was Geoff's girl; and he didn't want any drama or conflict between his best friend.

"We finally meet, Malibu," Duncan said.

Bridgette mumbled lowly, "It's you…" Then she shook her head quickly. "Oh. Hi, Mr. Cr—I mean, Duncan."

Duncan smirked. "You can call me Mr. Criminal if you want; I don't mind, babe."

Geoff laughed. "Are you okay, Bridgette? You look shocked. You want a drink?"

Bridgette smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. And I'll get the drink myself. I need to call someone. Bye, Geoff. Nice seeing you, Criminal." She left frantically.

Duncan looked at Geoff. "I'm not going to steal her, Geoff. She's something, but no—she's not my type."

Geoff brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Nah, I was kidding about that, man. It's all because Bridgette didn't trust you about Courtney. She thought you were going to 'steal _her _away with your criminal claws,'" he explained casually.

"Yeah, that Courtney girl. Is she an all right girl?"

Geoff grinned. _"An all right girl?" _he repeated, incredulous. "Duncan, Courtney's the best gal friend I ever had! She's like a sista' from another mother and fatha'! I love her more than partying! Mocha's awesome to the awesome!"

Duncan was shocked. _Even more than partying? _he thought, shocked. "Wow, this Courtney seems…nice. Mocha?"

"That's my cool, suiting nickname for her. It's like her skin color, mocha. I even call her 'Latte,' or 'Mocha Loca,' and anything else related to coffee!"

_Mocha… Just like Princess… _"I met a girl," he blurted out.

Geoff grinned slyly. "Just like Mocha. Tell me about her. Did you score with her?" he asked quietly in case Bridgette might hear.

"No, I didn't. I didn't feel like it was right. Princess is—"

"Princess?"

"That's my nickname for her. She's driving me crazy! She's in my mind every single freaking time! Trent said it's 'love at first sight.' Help me, man!"

Trent called Geoff and Duncan for help.

"Well, I agree with him, man," Geoff whispered quickly, smirking. Duncan thought he heard him mumble something like, "Just like Courtney."

--

It was the night of the party. Courtney was outside with Bridgette, Beth, and Lindsay. She was wearing a shirt that said, "…" and it was dark purple; it also hugged her body tightly. She wore dark black denim shorts and black and white Nikes. She was dressed by Lindsay, but Bridgette made her wear the Nikes, because she didn't want Courtney to be _too _girlie.

"Are you guys ready to party?!" Lindsay giggled. She wore a green mini-skirt and an off-the-shoulder cashmere top with wedges. Beth wore something similar like that, except with a black tank top underneath and capris. Bridgette just wore a jacket and jeans with gladiator shoes.

"I guess," Courtney said reluctantly. She didn't want to be here, but it was for Gwen, so she had to for her.

Beth and Lindsay excitedly opened the door. Loud music was blaring out, and there were people Courtney knew dancing and eating. Well, that was Owen.

His girlfriend, Izzy, was busy creeping out the DJ with her scab on her knee. Izzy saw them unfortunately and ran manically towards them. She was crazy, but nevertheless their friend.

"Hey, guys! Trent throws the awesome parties _ever_, am I right?! The DJ's such a wimp! It reminds me of this guy who didn't want to be thrown in the pool of needles, but I—!"

"Okay, thanks, Izzy. I think I saw Owen flirting with the drinks," Bridgette said nervously.

Izzy gasped, her nose flaring. "I'll teach those drinks of liquid!" She ran off, pushing people.

Beth sighed. "She's crazy," she muttered. Then she gasped. "There's Justin looking at himself in the punchbowl reflection! Let's go ruin his ego again!" She and Lindsay skipped over to the conceited model.

"They're a handful," Courtney commented. "Now, where's our Gothic best friend…?"

"Right behind you!" a voice shouted, making Courtney shriek out loud.

Courtney glared at her best friend. "Gwen! You scared the crap out of me!"

Gwen giggled. "Well, clean up that crap. I want to keep this place clean for Trent."

Bridgette _aw_ed jokingly. "For Trent?" she joked.

Gwen blushed under her pale face and waved over someone.

"What's up, girls?" a ghetto voice greeted. "Leshawna's here!"

Courtney laughed. "Hey, Leshawna! Long time no see!"

Leshawna gasped. "Well, if it isn't Courtney, the 'I'd rather stay and study than party all night' gal of mine! I've been good! Well, Bridgette, hey. You lookin' for Geoff? He's busy with Danger Boy."

Bridgette smiled. "Thanks, Shawna!" She ran off to her boyfriend.

"The girl's in love," Leshawna said, wiping fake tears from her eyes.

Gwen secretly smirked slyly at Courtney and pulled Leshawna by the arm roughly.

"Hey, Court, why don't you try the apple cider? It's some good stuff! I have to…find Harold! Bye!" Gwen pulled a confused Leshawna to her boyfriend.

Courtney feeling confused, walked over to the food table, seeing Owen gorge down a plethora of food.

"Hey, Owen," Courtney greeted, eating a sushi.

Owen looked at Courtney with surprised eyes. "Courtney?" he asked incoherently; his mouth was full of food.

"Yeah, it's me."

He gulped all of his food. "Wow, I never knew you would even be here! But I guess it's because Gwen's here, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. So how have you been?"

"Been doing good. Another personal exercising trainer quit again." He sighed. "Have you seen Izzy? She's mad, 'cause she thought I was flirting with the drinks." He bent down to Courtney's height. "Don't tell her this: I was flirting with the sushi." Then he left.

_Weird, _Courtney thought. She grabbed another sushi, groaning with satisfaction as she ate it. She loves sushi.

"It's rare to see a _girl _here at the food area," a deep voice said behind her.

Courtney turned around and gasped.

"Mr. Criminal!"

--

Duncan was shocked, surprised, confused, everything! It was Princess! The girl that kept haunting Duncan's mind every single day!

"Princess!" he acknowledged in awe. "Well, I never knew I'd meet you again, babe!"

Courtney grimaced. "Well, I didn't _want _to meet you here, criminal," she snapped.

Duncan smirked. "Awww, is the Princess still mad I stole her first kiss?" he teased.

Courtney flushed with anger and embarrassment. "You didn't steal my—!"

"Your lips didn't move."

"That—that—that's because you shocked me, you stupid cretin!"

"Hm, normally girls would immediately kiss me back even though they're inexperienced."

"You're so conceited! Why would they want to kiss the likes of _you_?!"

"Hey, what's your name Princess?" Duncan asked, ignoring her question.

She looked like she was about to keep her mouth shut, but she sighed and replied, "Courtney. Courtney Davis."

"Oh, so you're the awesome, loveable Courtney, who hates partying and prefers to study. My other antithesis. Well, I'm pleased to meet you. Duncan. Duncan Evans. Did I ever tell you that you're the sexiest thing ever?" He smirked.

Courtney blushed and thought, _So straightforward. _"_I'm _not pleased to meet you. You're so unbelievable, you know that?!"

"I know. I'm the hottest surreal thing in your life, darling."

"You're the epitome of my worst nightmare, _darling_." With a huff, she left.

Duncan still followed. "Hey, what's that super, strange secret of yours that Trent told me about?" he asked, putting an arm around her waist.

Courtney got out of his grasp and sneered at him. "It's not a secret if I told you! And I'm not telling you!" She ran off to Bridgette, Gwen, and Leshawna, who were looking amused.

"I'll _definitely _find out, Princess!" Duncan yelled out.

"It's Courtney, you incompetent fool!"

--

**Courtney's so up-tight. Duncan's so persistent.**

**-Sighs- Young love…**

**Translation to Gwen's French thingie: "Boringly beautiful."  
**

**Please review!**

**Monica-san**


	5. Lip Molding and Benefits

Duncan woke up in a daze. He didn't have a hangover luckily. Apparently Trent lied about having wine at the party. _It was freaking apple cider, _Duncan thought bitterly. He should've known.

He felt something soft snuggle against him. He looked down and his eyes widened.

It was Princess; she was sleeping peacefully next to him. He knew they didn't do anything; he only remembered heavily making out with her.

Duncan smirked. _Princess is aggressive, _he thought smugly.

Then he started to blush. Duncan does not blush.

Princess wasn't wearing a shirt! She was still wearing her black shorts, but… He didn't even remember taking off her shirt! Princess will kill him for sure.

_But, _Duncan thought positively, _at least I get to see _some _of her rack. What is she—a size C? D?_

He couldn't see because her top form is covered by her arm, only showing her flat, smooth stomach. This is literally the best morning Duncan ever woke up to.

Princess started to move around suddenly. _Crap, she's waking up, _he thought. Her eyelids fluttered open, showing her piercing onyx eyes. She looked around groggily, and then after a while, gasped aloud.

"What the—?!" Courtney started shouting. "What the hell happened?!" She looked down on her body. "Why the hell am I half-naked?!" She looked at Duncan. "Why the hell are you here with me half-naked also?!"

Courtney was so confused. She didn't have a hangover, even though she never experienced them.

"You. Criminal. Window. Pervert. Confused," Courtney said incoherently.

"You. Princess. Towel. Gorgeous. Lusty," Duncan retorted playfully.

Courtney let out a loud, "Argh!" This stupid Duncan was totally playing around with her! _How dare he treat me like I'm some entertainment machine?! He is _so_ juvenile! _she shouted internally.

Duncan laughed a bit. He thought Princess looked hot when she was angry.

Courtney glared frostily at him. "This is not a laughing matter! Did we have sexual intercourse?!" she shouted.

"Ew, don't say 'sexual intercourse'; you're making sex seem boring when you say it like that." Duncan shuddered.

Courtney ignored his immature comment. "So, we didn't do anything…vile?"

"Unless you call 'heavily making out' vile."

Courtney gasped out loud again. "My lips touched _your _toxic ones again?! This time, for a very long time?! And I _allowed _it?!" She smacked herself on the forehead, and then glared at Duncan, who was looking amused. "What did you make me drink?! Did you get me drunk?! You got me drunk!"

Duncan rolled his eyes at her. "Nobody can get drunk by apple cider, Princess. That's a fact, and you should know that. Look, we didn't do anything bad. This isn't called rape or sexual harassment, because one: you're not underage; you're nineteen, and two: you _loved _it."

"I most certainly did not enjoy that activity we did last night!"

"Ugh, you just called making out an _activity_. Stop making everything sexy and fun boring." He stared at her exposed top form. "But this is helpin' me."

Courtney quickly found her shirt and put it on, making Duncan pout. Then she punched him in the gut.

"Damn! What the hell was that for, Princess?!" he yelled, hugging his stomach. "You freaking punch hard!"

"That's for being a total moron!" She huffed and went outside the room. She heard Duncan following her. "That exit obviously meant you can't follow me. You should read my 'Get away from me, you brainless pig' aura, as well. Even the most persistent pervert can read that."

Duncan whistled. "You're pretty harsh, sweetheart—I like that _a lot_." He suddenly put an arm around her casually. "So…wanna continue our _activity_?"

"Never! Not even in your dreams!" Courtney shrieked, roughly pushing away his arm.

"Courtney, it's seven am in the morning, and you're being annoyingly loud!" Gwen announced, tiredly coming out of Trent's bedroom.

"And what were you kids doing in there?" Duncan asked suggestively. "Were you being safe? It was pretty quiet."

Courtney smacked him on the back of his head.

Gwen smiled happily. "Thanks, Courtney. Finally there's someone who can discipline this laid-back freak." She started to make some coffee. "Courtney, do you want?"

Courtney groaned in satisfaction. "Yes, please. I want a lot of sugar in mine."

"I smell coffee!" Geoff's voice shouted from the bathroom. They all heard a flush, and then came out a messy-looking party boy. "I want some! I like it black."

"Regular," Duncan said, stroking Courtney's arm when he sat beside her. Courtney scooted away from, glaring.

"Four scoops of sugar!" Bridgette shouted, putting on her jacket.

"Black for me and my man!" Leshawna yelled, dragging a sleepy Harold by the arm.

"Oooh! Make ours icy!" Lindsay said incoherently; she came out of the other bathroom, brushing her teeth with Beth.

"Owen and I want an espresso! We want it, because the name sounds _so, so, so, so _cool!" Izzy said, trying to wake Owen up from the floor.

"Make mine beautiful, like me," Justin said, suddenly appearing from the kitchen. His entrance was very flashy, which irked Courtney. She hated bright, happy mornings.

"Regular please," DJ said politely, holding a cute bunny in a baby way. "Oh, and Katie and Sadie went home, 'cause they were going to do their 'Annual Mani/Pedi Extravaganza.'"

Duncan muttered, "Good."

"Jeez, I only asked Courtney if she wanted coffee, not everyone," Gwen grumbled, sipping her coffee.

"Where's Trent?" Bridgette asked. She, along with Courtney and Beth, were eating French toast courtesy of DJ.

"He's sleeping," Gwen replied simply.

Geoff chuckled. "He _really _partied hard tonight, eh, Duncan?"

Duncan smirked and bumped fists with Geoff. "Oh yeah, he definitely did. That's somethin' you don't see from Trent much."

Bridgette and Gwen smiled slyly at Courtney. Courtney looked at them with obvious suspicion in her eyes and gulped her food down nervously. She knew what they were going to ask.

"So, all of us saw you and Duncan 'lip molding,'" Bridgette said, using Courtney's words for "making out."

"And you seemed to be enjoying it," Gwen added, giving Courtney her coffee.

"I was drunk," Courtney objected.

"It was just apple cider."

"Apple cider can do things to you."

"Oh, like make you make out with your _supposedly _arch-nemesis? I don't think so, Court."

"Yeah, man! I saw you and Mocha having some fun!" Geoff shouted, gorging down muffins. "It was almost like porn to me."

"How do you know how porn looks like?" Bridgette asked suspiciously.

Geoff chuckled nervously. "Well…everyone knows how porn looks like…"

Lindsay squealed. "Ew! I don't like that word! Stop saying it, Geoff! Yucky!" She covered her ears.

Courtney grimaced at Geoff; she never knew he was that type to do those things. Revolting.

Duncan, on the other hand, smirked. "Bridgette, some people just get curious," he said, receiving a thankful smile from Geoff, "_but_…after curiosity… comes _even more _curiosity."

Bridgette began scolding Geoff like a strict mother. She was livid, and that was a complete understatement.

Courtney narrowed her eyes at Duncan. "Look, I appreciate you being honest, but Geoff's your best friend, and that doesn't mean you can rat him out," she scolded.

Duncan rolled his eyes. _Princess is so mature, it gets annoying, _he thought. "Well, babe, that's how I am. Geoff knows that, and he won't get mad at me. He knows that's how I roll." He put his arm around Courtney, smirking.

Courtney snorted in disgust and got off from the chair. She sat on one of the bar stools, next to Lindsay.

"I am allergic to you. Stop putting your nauseating arm on me, Neanderthal," she sneered.

Duncan was impressed quite a bit. He liked how Courtney had a wide range of vocabulary even though it sometimes gave him a headache. She was like a living dictionary or something.

Lindsay spun around on the bar stool, looking at Courtney with confused eyes. "You're allergic to what, Courtney?" she asked.

"Crap," she answered, finishing all of her coffee.

"I thought you said you were allergic to Duncan," Beth told Courtney. "I'm confused."

"Duncan _is _crap," Courtney said irritably. She wished she wasn't here, and was at home in her warm, soft bed, where it's quiet and _not _full of _Duncan_.

Leshawna laughed out loud. "Courtney, girl, you are _funny_! Damn, I never knew you had a sense of humor! You should use that against the evil bimbo," she suggested. Everyone knew she was talking about the evil Asian, Heather.

"I don't want to cause trouble," Courtney murmured. "Besides, she never did anything to me."

"That's true!" Gwen gasped. "Heather obviously did a lot of cruel tricks to practically all of us! She never once did anything to Courtney!"

"She did call Courtney an up-tight ho once," Lindsay said quietly. She's part of "Haters of the evil Asian" club. It could've been more creative, but the things that come out of Lindsay_'_s mouth are the first things that pop into her mind.

Courtney was shocked. "What?" she snapped. "What did you just say, Lindsay?"

"Oh, hell _no, _she did not just call my Hispanic girl a ho! She's a freaking hypocrite!" Leshawna yelled, absentmindedly squeezing Harold's frail arm.

"My arm is being asphyxiated by your firm clutch, Leshawna!" Harold squeaked, biting his fist to resist yelping out in pain.

Duncan chuckled at the scene that was happening before him. First of all—and he _cannot _stop thinking this—he absolutely _loved _it when Courtney's mad. When she heard that Heather called her an up-tight ho, she looked like she was about to tear someone's head off! It made Duncan feel something, and it really turned him on. He was feeling immeasurably lusty.

"Hey, Harold, how does it feel like when your girlfriend is stronger than you?" Duncan laughed. "I bet you piss your pants off every time Leshawna gets pissed off!"

Leshawna glared at Duncan but looked a bit smug. "Harold, honey, what did you say? I'm what with your arm? I'm sorry, but my vocabulary's not all that fancy like yours."

"He said that you're suffocating his arm by your tight grip," Courtney explained, petting DJ's bunny.

Leshawna gasped and started apologizing to her "Nerdy Gentleman."

Courtney could feel the criminal's eyes staring at her. It made her feel uncomfortable and tense under his gaze.

Before she could yell at Duncan for that, Lindsay interrupted by shouting, "Let's play Truth or Dare, guys!"

"In the freaking morning?" Gwen asked.

"Well, Truth or Dare can be any morning!" Nobody understood what she meant by that. "We should have fun since almost all of us are here, right?! And…I am _so _bored!"

Courtney scowled. She hated juvenile games like these; it always caused problems, and it didn't look fun at all to her.

Gwen grinned devilishly. "Okay," she agreed. "But _everyone _has to play, right, Courtney?"

Courtney glared at her, and then smiled angelically. "No, Gwen, I do not wish to participate in that tiresome amusement. Thank you for implying that I shall join."

Duncan snickered. "You sure are sarcastic, sunshine. And what, are you a chicken?"

"No! I'm just too mature for that _im_mature game!"

"It's not immature; it's fun. Do you hate fun?"

"I do not! I like fun, but this is _juvenile_, not entertaining!"

"That's what makes it entertaining, Princess. We act silly, but we have fun! It's part of life. Come on, do this for all of your friends." Duncan gestured toward the pleading looks of her companions.

Courtney groaned. "Fine," she relented. "But _you're _not my friend."

Duncan snorted. "I know that—you're my sex part—"

Courtney bonked him on the head hard, and pushed him on the ground roughly, where everyone was sitting. Bridgette brought one of the recycled apple cider bottles and placed it in the middle.

"Going green, eh?" Geoff snickered.

Bridgette glared at him, and so did Lindsay. They both didn't say anything, because they didn't have to. Geoff shrunk back in fear and remained silent.

"I'll go first! And then Gwen!" Lindsay giggled.

"Why you first?" Duncan asked.

"'Cause I thought of the idea! And this whole get-together thingy is for Gwen, so that's why, Dylan!"

Duncan growled. "It's Duncan, not Dylan, you freaking b—"

Courtney covered his mouth, receiving a glare from Duncan, and watched Lindsay spin the bottle. It spun and spun until it stopped right in front of Harold.

"Why couldn't it spin at me?" Justin asked. "Aren't glass bottles attracted to attractive people? Hence the word _attract_?"

"Okay, we did not know what you just said," Geoff said. "Glass bottles aren't magnetic, right, Courtney?"

"No, they are not," she answered.

"Okay! Harry! Truth or Dare?!" Lindsay exclaimed.

Harold smiled. "Dare," he said confidently.

"I thought you were going to be a wuss, Harold!" Duncan hollered teasingly, receiving laughter from some people.

Harold glared at Duncan and waited patiently for Lindsay, who was asking what dare she should pick from Beth.

"All righty, Harry! Ooh, that rhymes! Okay, okay! Your dare is to…" She went over to Harold and whispered it.

Harold looked aghast. "Lindsay, what did I ever do to you?! Do you want me to die?! I'm too young to die!" he shrieked.

"Harold, baby, what is it?" Leshawna asked. "It _better not _be to kiss some girl!"

"I—It's not, Leshawna. It's _way _worse!"

"How can kissing a chick be worse?" Geoff questioned. "That's awesome!"

Courtney sighed impatiently. See what she means? This immature game was getting on her nerves. "Okay, just do the freaking dare, Harold!" she shouted.

"Um…" He gulped and took a deep breath. He mumbled quietly, "Calm my chakra down…" Then he inhaled and exhaled. "Okay… Duncan is lady-killer who should just admit that he swings the other way."

Some were too afraid to laugh, but the girls, Courtney, Gwen, and Leshawna, thought otherwise. Duncan was fuming, and he was turning red.

Harold gasped, horrified. "That—that wasn't what I was supposed to say! My chakra did that! It was supposed to be, 'Duncan is a total loser and should just cry in a hole!' That one's less harsh!"

Duncan cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Harold, you should run right now, because I am _not _giving you a head start like last time," he said in clenched teeth.

"But—but you didn't give me a head start last time!" Harold shouted. "Duncan, wait! Wait—!" Duncan started to go after him, and Harold squealed and ran.

Leshawna was too busy laughing to even go and yell at Duncan to not beat up her Harold.

After a couple of girlie screams, Duncan finally came out, looking happy and smug. Harold was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Harold?" Bridgette asked.

Duncan smirked. "Somewhere, Malibu."

"Okay, go, Gwen!" Leshawna cheered.

Gwen laughed and spun the bottle. She spun it pretty hard, so it took a long time before it stopped. After about thirty seconds, according to Courtney, it stopped right in front of…Courtney.

Courtney was not happy. "No. I will not. _Hell no_."

Everybody—heck, even _Duncan_!—gave her a puppy-dog look. No matter how strict Courtney is, she's also a sucker for that expression. Her heart wasn't made of stone—unlike Heather.

Courtney growled. "Fine! I'll pick dare!"

Gwen's face turned evil-looking. It made Courtney a bit frightened. She knew Gwen was the master of creepy things, other than Duncan, she supposed.

"Nice choice, Courtney. That makes me _really _happy—and it will make other people happy, as well." Gwen grinned knowingly. "'Kay…I dare you to make out with Duncan in the room until I let you guys out."

"_No!" _Courtney yelled. "I already did it once last night unfortunately, and I'm not doing it again! _No!_"

Duncan was feeling elated. _Thank you, my Gothic friend, _he thought happily. He smirked at Courtney, who was still complaining. _That's right, get her fired up—much more aggressive._

"Come on, Court!" Bridgette pleaded. "If you love us, then you will! _Please?_" She jutted out her lower lip.

That struck Courtney. Bridgette really did well. She played the "love" card, and she did the irresistible look.

Courtney grabbed Duncan violently by the arm, and literally dragged him to the room. They both heard Gwen and the others following them, laughing silently. Duncan and Courtney went inside the room, and they heard ruffling sounds and stuff against the door.

Courtney didn't dare look at Duncan. She knew he was smirking and looking at her with perverted eyes. He was too predictable. Why the heck did she agree to do this obscene activity?

Suddenly Duncan grabbed her and smashed his lips against hers. Courtney struggled against his grip violently, irritating him. _Why the hell can't she just stop being so stubborn and kiss me, damn it? _

"Just do the freaking dare and kiss me, Princess," he mumbled incoherently against her lips. "Stop struggling—you're too strong for a girl, you know."

"Let—let go of me…" She relented and kissed him back.

Duncan smirked and pushed Courtney against the wall quickly. He started to kiss her neck up and down, to her jaw. She heard her moan quietly, and he loved that sound.

Courtney felt Duncan's hands go under her shirt, and she didn't even stop him. Duncan was such a great kisser, and for some strange reason, she _trusted _him not to do anything vile to her. She even always thought that lip molding was disgusting, but it was actually sensational to her. This was _definitely _not what Courtney expected at all.

Duncan and Courtney headed down onto the bed, both shirtless—which was unnoticeable to both of them. They kept making out, not having a care in the world.

Courtney slipped her tongue into his, and she felt his tongue piercing; it was cold, and she liked it.

They both didn't hear the door open.

"Okay, guys that's…enough… Wow…," they both heard Gwen say. "Um… Yeah, you guys can… Hello? Duncan? Court? You guys!"

"Shut up!" they both shouted in unison, lips still glued together.

"Jeez, fine. Hey, guys, we shouldn't interrupt them! They're having _a lot _of fun!"

The door closed.

--

"Did you know that you're aggressive when you kiss me, Princess?" Duncan inquired, slipping on his T-shirt. They didn't have sex; they just made out for a _very _long time. Which was weird.

Courtney blushed. "Shut up," she muttered, slipping on her T-shirt, as well. "It doesn't mean anything, you know, okay?"

He held out his large hand. "Friends with benefits?" he offered.

Courtney grimaced. "Yuck, that sounds completely horrendous. No freaking way, Duncan."

"Well, we can't be just friends who make out whenever they want to. That sounds kinky…though I like it a bit."

"You are such a lecherous human being. It's not even normal, but I don't think you're normal, so it's normal for me."

That perplexed Duncan. "I don't get it."

Courtney laughed and left the room. Everyone seemed normal. Geoff and DJ were playing videogames; Owen was devouring a huge plate of food; Izzy was talking vivaciously to Owen; Gwen, Leshawna, and Bridgette were talking on the sofa; and Lindsay and Beth were on the computer, giggling about some cute vampire dude.

"Where's Justin?" Courtney asked. "He left?"

Bridgette nodded. "Yeah. Apparently he had some important photo shoot about abs or something." Then she smirked. _Ugh, everyone's always smirking, _Courtney thought. "You and Duncan kissed for almost an hour, you know."

_Wow, it seemed longer than that. _"Oh, my gosh, that's so amazing," she muttered sarcastically.

She saw Duncan come in, looking flushed, and his mohawk looked a bit messy. He winked at her and headed towards Geoff and DJ.

"What was that wink for?" Gwen asked curiously.

Courtney smirked. "Secret," she sang.

All of a sudden, everyone heard a yell.

"Why the heck is Harold next to me in bed half-naked, with tidy-whities?!"

--

**Yeah, it may have seemed too fast. But hey, 'friends with benefits' except the benefits are making out only, seems like what Duncan and Courtney would do in my opinion. :)**

**I guess later on in the story they'll realize their love for each other, and they'll put emotion in their kissing. So predictable, right? **

**You know, I always thought that Courtney was Hispanic, so that_'_s why she_'_s Hispanic here. :)  
**

**Thanks, **_**Warriorgirl111, **_**for giving me that Truth or Dare idea! Sorry if it was short, though!**

**Please review!**

**Monica-san**


	6. Transvestites and The Hulk

Duncan walked to _Starbucks _for his first day working at that place. He felt like walking there, because he hasn't exercised in a while—not that he needed to. And he needed to buy a motorcycle _pronto_.

Finally, he arrived at the mini _Starbucks _shop. There was a lot of people in there, obviously buying coffee and junk. Mostly all of them were business people.

Duncan grimaced; he hated business people. They were too uptight, and they just didn't know how to have fun. All they do is sit behind their little desk and do boring paperwork. Trent's dad was like that, but he wasn't uptight.

He sighed, and headed inside the shop. He got quite a few looks from the girls. He hid his smirk. _Maybe after I get off of work, I'll have a lot of phone numbers, _he thought smugly. Then he felt horrified. _Hopefully it won't be from _guys_. _He had a horrifying experience of that once—or twice.

–

_Duncan was drinking beer at his friend's bar, sitting on the metal bar stools. He felt like crap; he just dumped his girlfriend—_ex_-girlfriend—and she cried her heart out. He regretted doing that, but he just didn't feel anything anymore._

_He sighed and took another swig of his beer. He saw a lot of girls checking him out. Normally, he would play along, but not today. He just felt plain horrible._

_Which was rare for Duncan since he usually didn't give a crap about how the girl felt, because _they _themselves didn't give a crap. He didn't know his ex cared about him._

_In his peripheral vision, he saw a tall, provocative-looking woman take a seat next to him. She gave him a small smile, to which he reluctantly returned back._

_His friend, Bill, gave him another free beer on the house, for he knew that Duncan was feeling down. He looked at the girl next to him and his eyes widened. He quickly scampered away to the door that says "Employees Only." _

_Duncan rolled his eyes. He didn't know Bill was afraid of _confident _girls._

"_Pay him no mind—he's a coward," he muttered to the girl. _

_He heard the girl giggle lightly. "I don't mind. I'm used to it. Guys usually have that kind of stupid reaction," she replied casually. "But you're different. I like that."_

_Duncan laughed with remorse in the pit of his stomach. "Sorry, babe. I'm not feeling it right now."_

_The girl slid her finger slowly on his forearm to his elbow flirtatiously. _Guess she's the persistent type, _Duncan thought._

"_I'll _make _you feel up to it, sweetheart," she whispered seductively in his ear. "I promise you that."_

_Duncan chuckled and looked at her. She was sexy, but there was something unusual about her. He felt like he shouldn't give into her persuading. His insight was bugging him about it._

_Duncan shook his head. "Like I said, sorry, babe. I just broke up with my girlfriend. I don't feel like having fun."_

_The girl pouted. "But I want to have fun with you." She grinned sexily. "I'll make you forget about that girl. What's your name, sexy?"_

"_Duncan. What about you?"_

"_...Marie." She put her hand on top of his, stroking it with her thumb._

_Her hands looked large and heavy. She must have gotten her hands from her dad—or her mom. He gently and quickly slipped his hand out of hers._

"_Look, there are other guys who want to have some fun—go seduce them," Duncan urged her. "I just...want to be alone. Please," he added._

_Marie looked at him with apologetic eyes. "You must have really cared about her."_

"_Well...I thought she would be like those other girls, you know, the ones who just want to make out 24/7. I never knew she was serious about me. Ugh..." Duncan scratched his head roughly. _

"_What was her name?"_

"_Vivian Peterson."_

_Marie gasped. "Oh, yes, she was a very sweet girl." Then she looked at her sparkly pink watch. "Oh, I have to get going now." She stood up to leave. Duncan grabbed her wrist._

"_How do you know her?" he inquired._

_Marie simply smiled. "She was my ex-girlfriend, as well. Ta-ta." She wiggled her fingers to Duncan and left, strutting her hips._

_Bill whistled lowly next to him. Duncan didn't even know he was there. Bill patted his back._

"_Damn, these transvestites get so believable-looking, eh, Duncan?" he snickered._

_Duncan felt like vomiting, and it wasn't from the beer._

–

Duncan shuddered at the memory. He saw Frankie talking on the phone, and Duncan walked over to him.

"Reporting for duty, sir," Duncan joked, saluting him.

Frank pressed a button on his phone and put it in his pocket. He smiled warmly. "Good morning, Duncan," he greeted politely.

"So, who was that on the phone? Is it your _girlfriend_?" Duncan teased, smirking.

Frank blushed. "Ah...no, that was one of my employees. She's going to be the one helping you around. Here is your apron." He gave him the green apron.

Duncan grimaced and reluctantly put it on. "So when's this girl going to be here?"

"She's on her way now." He blushed again.

"Do you _like _her, Frank?" Duncan grinned.

Frank blushed harder and quickly left, stumbling a bit. He obviously likes this girl.

Duncan chuckled a bit. He jumped over the counter and saw one girl making an espresso. She was tall, but not taller than Duncan. He couldn't see her face, though. She had jet-black hair and had a brown complexion.

"Hey," Duncan greeted. "I'm new here. What's your name, sunshine?"

The girl quickly turned around. She was wearing glasses and had a beauty mark near her right eye. She had wide, dark brown eyes. She was cute.

The girl smiled brightly. "Yes, I know you're new. Frank told me about his interesting interview. You are Duncan Evans, correct? I'm Zily Lorenzo," she said happily; she had a slight Filipino accent. _She must be one of those hyper girls, _Duncan mused.

"Zily? That's quite a unique name you got there. It sounds cool. So...what am I supposed to do? I _accidentally _made Frankie be all flustered and he ran out. I'm supposed to be waiting for a girl; she's going to be guiding me around or somethin'," Duncan explained. "You're pretty cute."

Zily laughed. "Sorry! You're super hot and all, but...I'm not dating right now."

Duncan smirked. "I can change that status of yours."

"You're really persistent, aren't you?"

"That's just who I am, honey."

Zily smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Duncan." She put the three espressos on a black tray and carried it towards the customers. "Oh. There she is."

Duncan looked over where Zily was looking. Then he grinned.

"Stalking me, eh, Princess?"

Courtney quickly whipped her head towards Duncan and groaned out loud. "I think I'm going to die right now," she mumbled.

Zily looked at Courtney. "You know him?"

"Yes unfortunately. We had a very unforeseen meeting." Courtney looked at Duncan with, scowling. "_Please _don't tell me you're the new guy."

Duncan hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Princess."

He felt Courtney shiver a bit. He grinned, and loved on how he has such an affect towards her. She's into him totally.

Zily gasped and squealed. "Courtney! You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!" she said.

Courtney pushed Duncan away roughly. "He is _not _my boyfriend."

"That's right, I'm not her boyfriend," Duncan announced. "I'm her husband. We met each other at Vegas, got married, dressed up like superheroes, and bada-bing—we're married."

Courtney sneered at him. "No, _we are not married_. I don't think you know me that much, Duncan. I'm not some ditzy girl who can just fall 'head over heels' at the sight of you. No. I'm _better _and _smarter _than that." She grabbed an apron and tied it on. "Come on, I'll show you the ropes of this job, and then I won't have to interact with you or your ego."

Duncan smirked. _Super feisty and super hot, _he thought happily. He turned towards Zily, who looked amused and had a knowing look on. He put his mouth near her ear.

"I'm actually her sex part—,"he started to whisper.

"Duncan Evans, shut the hell up and get over here!" Courtney shouted. All of the customers looked over at Courtney and looked a bit frightened. He almost laughed at that.

"Yes, darling!" he sang and walked towards the fuming girl.

Courtney took a deep breath, murmuring, "Control your temper. He's just a cocky Neanderthal who really needs to be locked up in an asylum. Control..."

Duncan laughed huskily. "I think _you _need to be locked up in an asylum, Courtney, since you're practically _crazy _for me."

"Lies!" she snapped. "I am not interested in _you_! You are just a person—an unknown species!—with a mind of freaking three year old!"

Duncan got irritated. "Oh yeah? Well, you're just a girl who has a pole shoved up deep inside her ass! I'm surprised it's not coming out of your mouth by now! Have you ever heard the word 'joke' or 'fun'?" he asked.

"Have you ever heard of the word 'mature'?"

"Why, yes, I have, Princess. I've seen it and I've read it." Duncan grinned smugly.

Princess let out a noise of disgust. "That wasn't what I was talking about! _Playboy _was definitely not what I was talking about!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Duncan waved her off. "I'll just ask Zily to help me."

"No, you will not! Zily is busy right now! _I'm _the one who's supposed to guide you around! Besides, you'll probably just flirt with her like how you do with other girls!"

"Oh, are you jealous right now, babe?"

"Yes, I am. The little green monster inside of me wants to wring her neck out and eat it, because I don't want her filthy hands over you. After that, I'll perform a ritual for you to fall for me," Courtney said sarcastically.

"Wish that was true," Duncan retorted. "But it is."

Courtney punched him in the gut and stomped over to the freezer room to get ice.

Duncan resisted the pain and followed her, shutting the door in the process. He watched Courtney break the huge ice with her fists. She looked beyond furious, and, secretly, Duncan was scared of her.

"And now we see the mother bear beat up her cubs. Abusive, isn't she?" Duncan said deeply, pretending to be the narrator of _Animal Planet_.

Courtney threw sharp glass at Duncan, to which he skillfully dodged, much to Courtney's dismay.

"Murderer," Duncan grumbled. "And I thought _I _was the criminal here."

Courtney growled loudly at him. "You drive me freaking insane! What the hell do you want from me?! Stop making my mind go around in swirls every single freaking time!"

Duncan grinned. "I can tell that's a good thing. Translation: Stop being so irresistibly hot and kiss me, my prince!"

Courtney punched more ice that were in the bag. They were already small, but now Courtney made them almost look like sand.

"Why don't you stop?" Duncan asked suddenly.

"Stop what?"

"Stop making _my _mind go in swirls or whatever you said."

Courtney sniggered. "That is impossible. You don't even _have _a mind."

"Oh, funny, Court."

Courtney laughed again and picked up the bag of sandy ice. Duncan grabbed it from her, being surprisingly gentlemanly. She rolled her eyes and opened the door. Or _tried _to.

"I...I can't open it," Courtney muttered. "It's stuck."

"That's impossible. I didn't close the door hard. Here, let me do it." Duncan roughly gave the bag of ice, getting a glare from Courtney.

_Note to self: _Never _call Duncan gentlemanly. It'll bite you in the ass for no reason why, _Courtney thought bitterly.

Duncan pulled the the door handle hard, shaking it, and smashing it with his elbow. He ended up feeling bruised up and unmanly.

"It's stuck," he said lamely.

"No way," Courtney gasped sarcastically. "That's what I said, loser! You didn't have to act all macho and manly to prove me wrong, because one: you're _not _macho and manly, and two: _I'm _always right."

Duncan rolled his eyes at her. "You're freaking lying to yourself, sweetheart. I _am _macho and manly. And you are not always right. You're only right towards other things, but you're never right towards yourself and your feelings."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"'Kay, look, Princess—you are obviously into me, and you're just denying it. Do us both a favor, and just admit it! You. Like. Me." Duncan grinned.

"Grr! You make me so frustrated!" With that, Courtney grabbed Duncan and smashed her lips roughly on his.

_Now that's what I'm talking about, _Duncan thought joyfully.

–

Courtney was on the other side of the freezing room, shivering. Her lips looked almost blue, and she was freezing cold.

Duncan, on the other hand, was just dozing off near the door. He looked comfortable...and _warm_. He wasn't even shivering, and his lips were still normal-looking!

_It's official. Duncan's not human, neither is he an alien. He probably escaped from Area 51! _Courtney shouted in her mind.

"You know, you wouldn't be shivering if we continued our so-called 'lip molding,'" Duncan said casually, his eyes still closed.

"Wh-Why aren't y-you c-c-cold?" she chattered. "Y-Y-You l-l-look wa-warm..."

"Oh, that's because in one of the prisons I was in, they had this freezing chamber. I _accidentally _pulled down the chief's pants, and he got angry. I've been sent in there multiples of times, until I escaped. So, I'm used to it, Princess." He opened one eye. "Do you want body heat?"

Courtney wanted to say no, but she didn't want to die from this stupid freezing room. She reluctantly crawled over to Duncan, who smirked when he saw her crawling.

"That crawl looks like you're seducing me, babe," Duncan snickered. "I can see your rack."

Courtney immediately hugged herself to Duncan, punching him in the process.

"Ooh, aren't we eager?"

"You know, it'd be best if you shut up. I just want to survive, and get away from this freezing room as soon as possible. So just let us suffer in silence, _please_." Courtney buried her face in his neck. Strangely, he smells good, like...a minty orange smell. It was rare, but he smelled amazing.

"Do you want me to kiss you? Your lips are freaking icy blue," Duncan offered.

Courtney shook her head. "No, I'll just kiss your neck," she mumbled. "I'm feeling warm now."

She felt Duncan shiver lightly, and she felt concerned. Was Duncan cold or something? She lifted her head up and started kissing his neck to make him warmer. Duncan shifted a bit.

"Are you cold?" Courtney asked against his neck. His pulse was throbbing hard. "Are you okay?"

"I...am fine," Duncan squeaked. "Just...continue."

Courtney's lips traveled up to his jawline to his lips. She kissed him gently and then let go.

"That was the sexiest thing you have ever done—for now," Duncan said, sounding breathless.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "It didn't mean anything. You looked cold, and you shivered. And why do you sound so breathless? You didn't even do anything."

Duncan didn't say anything to her which made Courtney feel suspicious.

Then she smirked.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable by my kissing, Mr. Evans?" Courtney teased.

Duncan scoffed. "No, I wasn't."

"Your actions speak otherwise."

"You're annoying."

"_You're _perverted."

"It's natural, babe."

"_You're un_natural, _babe_."

"Stop turning me on."

"Stop turning me off."

_I'm awesome at comebacks, _Courtney thought.

All of a sudden the door opened, showing Zily and Frank. They looked at Courtney and Duncan's position and blushed hard.

"We did not do anything!" Courtney shouted, getting off of Duncan.

Duncan stood up, brushing off his pants. "Do you actually expect them to believe that, Princess? Nobody can't do nothing in freezing room _alone—_especially if the girl has the hots for the guy and can't restrain her sexual urges."

Courtney ignored him, even though she wanted to grab his head and smash it against the wall. She never knew she was so violent. _Pretty soon the hulk with come. Roar. _And she never knew she was so weird.

"How did you guys get stuck in here?" Zily asked, concerned. "We've been looking for you guys!

"Well, the door was shut tightly," Courtney replied sheepishly. "We tried to open it, but we couldn't."

"That's impossible, Courtney," Frank murmured. "You're strong...and so is Duncan. This freezer door _never _gets stuck. The carpenters made sure of that."

"Wait," Zily interjected, "did you guys _pull _the door instead of pushing it?"

Courtney had a blank face on. Then she looked livid. She screamed and stomped out of the freezer, fuming like crazy.

Duncan smiled innocently at Zily and Frank. "Isn't she hot when she's fuming?"

–

**There you go! I like the name Zily; it sounds so unique.**

**I hoped you liked it!**

**Please review!**

**Monica-san**


	7. Confusion and Hickeys

"Ugh, what's the difference between two-ply regular and a large?" Courtney muttered to herself. "I mean, the regular is small but durable; the large has more quality but it breaks easily."

Courtney just growled and dumped both of the paper towels in the shopping cart. She went to go grocery shopping, because her refrigerator was basically empty. She was with Bridgette, who was currently engrossed in the junk food section.

"Bridgette, be healthy!" Courtney yelled so Bridgette could hear her. "And be thrifty!"

Bridgette laughed. "Yes, Courtney!" Courtney saw her grab three bags of chips and walk towards her.

Courtney raised an eyebrow. "And how much are those, young lady?"

"You sound like my dad, Court," Bridgette giggled. "And these are, I believe, two dollars and fifty cents each. Inexpensive, huh?"

Courtney rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Whatever, Bridge. Just make sure you're chipping in, or else I will throw this junk you call food out of the cart."

"This junk _is_ called food, hence the word 'junk _food_.'"

Courtney shook her head at Bridgette and continued looking for food supplies. She headed over to the meat section of the market. She picked up beef and chicken and examined them.

"Should I choose beef or chicken?" Courtney said to herself again. "Beef is good with... No, no. Maybe if I picked chicken, then... Damn."

She turned around to ask Bridgette something, but saw her hugging Geoff. She smiled at the cute couple, envying them a bit. She always wanted something like that—minus the "on and off" part of their relationship. But there must _always _be the ups and downs in a relationship, Courtney guessed.

"I'd pick chicken," a husky voice whispered in her ear.

Courtney shivered, even though she knew who that person is. She didn't dare to turn around, or else she would be entranced by this sexy being.

_I can't believe this lecherous unknown species is so damn good-looking, _Courtney thought bitterly. _Why couldn't his personality match his godly face? Why, oh, why couldn't it?!_

"And you say _I'm _stalking you," Courtney grumbled. "Look at Mr. Hypocrite, everyone... Being so hypocritically hypocritical just like any hypocrite."

She heard Duncan scratch his head roughly and smirked. She loved how his mind—or lack thereof—couldn't keep up with her wise vocabulary. She felt superior to his inferiority.

"We seem to keep on bumping into each other, Princess," Duncan whispered sexily. "What is this called—fate?"

"More like hell."

"Pfft! Yeah, right. Hell is with _you_."

"Ditto, Duncan, ditto. Welcome to my world."

"I don't want to be part of _your world_"—he said those two words as if it was disgusting—"because _your world _is full of snotty, uptight freaks who don't even know what computers are."

"Yes, they do!"

"So you agree they're snotty, uptight, and freaky?"

"N-No! I meant, those _non-snotty, relaxed, unique _people _do _know what computers are!"

"If they use it for doing reports or essays or whatever blah, then _no_, they don't."

"Well, _you're _an exception to knowing computers, because all you do is watch porn in it!" Courtney's cheeks were flushed red with anger.

"How do you know? And now look at _Mrs. _Hypocrite. She's being hypocritically hypocritical about _me _being a hypocrite when _she herself _is being hypocritically hypocritical about _me _being hypocritically hypocritical just like any hypocrite."

Courtney was perplexed and...stunned. She didn't know that Duncan knew what she said earlier. She was amazed. She underestimated Duncan, and she sort of felt bad for belittling him.

"And now Princess is stunned by my knowledge," Duncan chuckled.

"Sorry... It's just too ironic," Courtney mumbled apologetically. "I mean, you're a guy who likes to do rebellious acts just for the fun of it. I never knew you actually had that kind of knowledge. It's just...wow."

"You learn things in prison unfortunately."

Courtney was quiet for a while. Then she remembered something about Duncan's earlier sentence. What can you say? She has an _amazing _memory.

"_Mrs. _Hypocrite?" she asked.

Duncan smirked at her. "Remember, sweetie? Yesterday, at work... Ring any bells in your pretty little mind...?"

"I wouldn't even _dream _of being married to you! I wouldn't even get married at Vegas! I want to do it—!" Courtney was shouting.

"Yeah, yeah, all romantically traditional and whatnot. Babe, it would be so cool for us—"

"Revolting."

"—to get married there! Superheroes! Now, doesn't _that _sound romantically traditional?"

"No, it's tacky and juvenile."

Duncan sighed exasperatedly. "_Everything _you see or hear sounds tacky and juvenile," he muttered.

"That's because it all involves _you_!" Courtney cried.

"So that means your world revolves around me? Well, then, maybe I _do _want to be in your world." Duncan grinned. He kissed her cheek. "It'd be awesome."

Courtney groaned out loud. _This Duncan freak is totally infuriating me! Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut and not say anything so irritatingly annoying?!_

She blanched and quickly wiped off the criminal's disgusting lip residue off of her cheek.

"What do you mean by _superheroes_?" Courtney asked reluctantly, playing along.

"Well, duh, honey! You would be Wonder Woman, except with _much more _provocative clothing." He wiggled his eyebrows lecherously.

"And who would you be?"

"Myself."

Courtney scoffed. "You're not a superhero!"

"I'm unbelievably strong! Doesn't _that _count?!"

"Whatever, Duncan! Heroes are _civilized _people who are men and or women you look up to! You are definitely not something kids would idolize!"

Duncan winced and suddenly had a downcast look on his face. He hung his head down, and was strangely quiet. Courtney felt guilty for saying that. She always said things without thinking sometimes.

Courtney gently laid her hand on his cheek, stroking it. "I—I'm sorry, Duncan. I didn't mean to make you feel sad. I'm sorry...," Courtney apologized.

Duncan still didn't react, and it made Courtney feel _even more _bad. She went too far.

Courtney put her hands on both of Duncan's cheeks and kissed him long and hard. He didn't kiss back for a while, but eventually did. Duncan's hands went on her hips, and Courtney suddenly jumped.

"Duncan, we're in public!" she hissed.

Duncan stole another kiss. "Can't help it, babe. You're just _way _too tempting."

Courtney glared frostily at him. "You sneaky little criminal. How _dare _you trick me just to receive a kiss from me?"

"Drama class is helpful." Duncan shrugged.

"Okay, okay, let's break up the love-fest here, people," Courtney heard Geoff announce, pushing away with a hand on Duncan's chest and Courtney's forehead gently.

"You shall not use that word towards us, Geoff," Courtney hissed. _"Never."_

"I'm gonna have to agree with Princess over here, dude," Duncan said. "This is just merely...teasing. We're friends—in a way."

"Yeah, you guys are friends who make out shamelessly whenever they want to. That's really normal, guys," Bridgette said sarcastically.

Courtney scoffed. "Stop copying Noah's mannerisms, Bridgette. And this is what we do, so just leave us alone with it!" She huffed and walked away.

_Just because we make out and hate each other doesn't mean it's _love_, _Courtney thought irritably. _Why can't people who are the opposite genders make out without love?_

–

Duncan stared after Courtney, his eyebrows furrowing. He knew that what Courtney and Duncan did wasn't a bad thing, but she didn't have to throw a hissy fit over it. It was just a comment her best friend made.

Bridgette sighed sadly. "Denial," she murmured.

Duncan looked at her. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Well, it's obvious Courtney likes you, right, Duncan? You know that, too. Everyone does."

"I do tend to tease her about it, but that doesn't mean I'm being serious... I...always _do _think she likes me." Duncan scratched his head. Why did he feel so confused?

Bridgette gave him a small smile. "Normally, Courtney wouldn't react like that; she would just roll her eyes and probably say a witty, sarcastic comment. She would _never _get _that _irritated—that would obviously mean she's taking what you guys are doing seriously. Which means she likes you. Nobody can just make out with the other gender without feelings—unless you're the type to do one-night stands." She gave him a suspicious look.

Duncan held his hands up in a defensive manner. "Hey, that was a one time thing. That's why they call it '_one_-night stands,' Bridgette."

"You actually know my name."

Duncan grinned at her, but then frowned. He wondered where Princess went, and secretly, he felt a bit worried. Something might've happened.

"Go after her, bra," Geoff suggested, smiling. "And tell me the details." He winked suggestively.

Duncan laughed and ran off to the annoying but hot Princess.

He heard Bridgette say, "You sound like an old woman who gossips. Ew," and laughed again.

He ran out of the supermarket and looked everywhere. He asked a lot of people, but they said they didn't know. He checked the nearby park, but she wasn't there, either!

"Damn it, Princess. If anything ever happened to you, I'm going to illegally punish you," Duncan growled.

He felt his cellphone vibrate and quickly answered it, hoping it was Courtney.

"Hello?! Courtney?!" Duncan yelled in his phone, panting. "Is that you?!"

"Courtney doesn't even know your cellphone number, dork," he heard Gwen say. "Have you ever heard of caller I.D., Dunky?"

"Don't call me that, Goth Freak. Is Courtney there with you?"

"Yup. She's fuming like crazy. Ugh. She's ranting right now in the living room. I left her, unnoticed." She snickered. "I swear, she's super oblivious to her surroundings when she's ranting."

Duncan chuckled. That was so like Princess. "'Kay, I'm coming over," he said.

"What, no 'thank you'?" Gwen joked.

Duncan grinned. "You're welcome." He hung up his phone and ran to Gwen's apartment.

–

"I don't even know why the hell Bridgette thinks that Duncan and I are _in love_!" Courtney was ranting. "Sure, we make out, but that _doesn't mean anything_! Why the hell does Bridgette have these stupid conceptions?! It is utterly irritating!

"And Duncan! _Oh_, that freaking criminal! He just makes me want to castrate him and feed him to pigs! Because that's where every part of his body belongs! To pigs! Ugh! I don't know how someone so good-looking could be so... _Damn it!_" Courtney punched the wall hard, not even wincing.

"Careful now, babe," the voice she didn't want to hear said out loud. "You wouldn't want to break your delicate hands now, would you?"

Courtney turned around and saw Duncan leaning against the door frame, smirking.

_Of course. When does he _not _smirk?_ she thought bitterly.

"What?" Courtney snapped.

"Now, now, don't get testy, Princess," Duncan said mockingly. "Let's not build your temper even more to the point where you break Gwen's furniture."

"And your special ball," Courtney added, glaring.

Duncan gulped audibly, which made Courtney smirk. The big, bad criminal is scared of the princess. How ironic.

"Duncan, _what do you want_?" she tried to ask calmly. "I thought you didn't give a crap about me! I thought we're just 'friends with benefits'!"

"When you say it like that, it sounds like you _want _me to give a crap about you and you _want _to be more than just 'friends with benefits.'"

"What gave you _that _stupid idea?!"

"Apparently you, babe." Duncan walked over to her, shutting the door with his foot.

"I didn't! I don't recall saying that to you!"

"You just said it earlier. You sound mad over something 'stupid,' in your words."

Courtney didn't know what Duncan was getting at. He didn't sound rational, and he was annoying her even more. She just wanted to punch him.

"Are you _implying _that I'm _sad _over the fact that we're just 'friends with benefits'?" she asked in clenched teeth.

"You're catchin' on, Princess." Duncan grinned.

"Well...you're wrong! I'm just..."

"Confused?" Duncan finished for her.

Courtney nodded. She slowly walked over to the black fluffy couch of Gwen's. She put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her hands.

Duncan sat beside her and wrapped one arm around her affectionately.

_Just _what _do we have? _Courtney thought.

"What the hell is this, Duncan?" Courtney inquired quietly, leaning against Duncan's shoulder. "What are _we_?"

"I have no freaking idea, babe," Duncan sighed. "That's what I've been wondering."

"I hate you, and yet I make out with you _a lot_." She glared at Duncan when he snickered. "Bridgette was right; this isn't normal. I owe her an apology big time... Stupid..."

"She's your best friend. She'll forgive you," Duncan whispered in her ear. He planted butterfly kisses on her neck.

"See what I mean?" Courtney groaned. "You hate me, and you're practically giving my neck a hickey!"

"I'm just merely planting soft kisses on your neck, not sucking on it." He paused. "Do you _want _me to give you a hickey? I'm a master at—"

"We're having a serious, mature conversation! Do not ruin it with your sexual mannerisms!"

Duncan nuzzled his face in her neck. "Sorry, baby," he cooed. He kissed her neck hard.

Courtney jumped and blushed madly. "_E-Ew!_ Stop that, Duncan! I don't _want _a hickey!" She pushed him off of her, scooting away from him in the process.

Duncan just smirked at her, having this knowing look on.

Courtney took a few deep breaths. Duncan makes her infuriated to the point where she wants to stick his head in a toilet. He makes her flustered every time he kisses her or teases her. He's...so comfortable to be around with. But...

What _is _this?

"Please, Duncan," Courtney whispered pleadingly, "tell me what this is..."

She heard Duncan scoot near her. He put his lips near her ear.

"You shouldn't question it, Courtney. Just enjoy it," he whispered huskily. "I don't even know what the hell it is, either. It might be something...I don't know, good—and that's surprising coming from me. I usually don't say anything sappy like this." He sighed.

Courtney felt tears in her eyes. She didn't know Duncan was actually...sweet. She always thought that Duncan wasn't usually the type to actually know what the word _'sweet' _means.

Courtney asphyxiated Duncan in a tight embrace. She buried her face in his neck.

"B-Babe!" Duncan said in a squeaky voice. "P-Princess! I—I can't brea-breathe!"

Courtney giggled and pulled away from him. She kissed his cheek softly.

"I couldn't help it, Duncan!" Courtney cried. "You're just so sweet!"

Duncan glared at her. "Hey, hey, Courtney. I. Am. Bad. I'm not _sweet_ or anything stupid like that. I'm a _criminal_; criminals aren't _sweet _or _romantic _or your _prince charming_. Those yucky words are taboo for every criminal. Like me, so there. _Never _say that I'm sweet, 'cause I'm _not_."

Courtney raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

Duncan sighed irritably. "Okay, just don't say anything, Princess. Can you just keep this on the down low? This'll ruin my reputation _bad_. Please?" He gave her a puppy-dog face.

Courtney groaned, knowing Duncan knew her weakness. "Ugh, fine, fine." _Duncan's actually cute when he does that face, _Courtney thought.

Duncan smirked and pulled Courtney in for a kiss. A long one. Yet again.

"I see two hopelessly in love humans, who will get mad at me for saying that, so I'll won't press into it, making out on _my _couch, in _my _living room, in _my _apartment!" Courtney heard her best friend Gwen shout out.

Courtney quickly pulled away, pushing Duncan off the floor.

She heard Duncan mutter, "Meanie."

"S-Sorry, Gwen!" Courtney apologized, blushing slightly.

Gwen rolled her eyes, but was smiling. "Okay, I already clarified to Geoff and Bridgette about this since they did this once, as well." She glared at both of them. "Leave! Trent's coming over!"

Duncan stood up, smirking. "Oh? Well, we wouldn't want to interrupt your little—"

Courtney grabbed Duncan's arm and interjected quickly, "We're leaving! Bye, Gwen! Say 'hi' to Trent for me! And have fun with your...yeah!"

Courtney immediately shut the door of Gwen's apartment, sighing.

She heard Duncan laugh out loud. She looked up at him with irritated eyes.

"What are you chortling on about?" she asked.

"That was the weirdest, funniest day I've ever had," Duncan explained, wiping tears from his eyes. "Definitely."

Courtney smiled. "For now," she added. "Because we'll have _a lot _more to come, right?"

Duncan's eyebrows both rose up. "Well, well, well. You're actually agreeing to spend more time with this hottie over here?" He pointed to himself.

Courtney rolled her eyes but giggled nonetheless. "Yeah, I am." She stood up. "Walk me home?"

Duncan whined, "But your apartment is so far away!"

"Be a gentleman! Walk me home or else I will tell everyone about _your _dirty little secret!"

Duncan gulped. "Fine."

Courtney felt Duncan's hand casually slip into hers. It felt strangely nice.

"So, does that mean we're dating?" Duncan asked nonchalantly.

Courtney gave him a fake exuberant smile. "Don't push it, Dunky," she said angelically.

They walked down the steps of Gwen's apartment building quietly. Courtney looked at Duncan, and saw him examining at her neck.

"What are you doing, you idiot?!" Courtney yelled.

Duncan locked eyes with her and smirked. "You have a hickey." He poked it a spot on her neck.

Courtney punched him in the guts.

–

**Whoo! I am done!**

**All the reviews I've received are so kind and encouraging! Some of you are saying that this is the best _Total Drama Island _story ever! But there are other stories I've read that are better than this.**

**Heh-heh...**

**Thanks for all of your reviews!**

**And remember: review! Ha-ha.**

**Monica-san**


	8. Apartments and Thoughts

**I'm **_**so **_**super sorry for the **_**huge **_**misunderstanding!**

**No, the story is not ending! Mostly all of you readers/authors reviewed that_. Sorry!_**

–

Duncan laid on the top of DJ's bunk bed. He seemed to be sleeping over at all of his best friend's house, but they didn't seem to mind. And if they don't mind, he doesn't mind that they don't mind, because it's a good thing they don't mind.

Duncan sat up on the bed, hitting his head in the process. Duncan was too tall to be on the top. He jumped off and sat down on the carpet floor of DJ's room.

_Do I actually like Princess? _Duncan thought.

He shook his head, groaning. He only thought of Courtney as his semi-friend with hot lips, but he never thought he would actually grow to like her. Courtney wasn't his type; she was too uptight and too snotty.

But that's the problem.

Duncan's _never_ met a girl who wasn't interested him in the least—excluding Gwen, Bridgette, and all of the other girls who are friends of his. He loves challenges. Courtney is challenge which he never beat yet.

_Yet._

And there was also another thing: her secret. Just what was her secret that will probably surprise Duncan? She used to strip or what? Hot. She's actually a guy or—

Duncan shivered. No. Courtney cannot be a guy. If she was, then Duncan would ask _Harold_ to kill him.

The door opened, showing DJ with a tray of sandwiches. Duncan absolutely loves DJ's cooking. Who doesn't?

"It's your famous sandwiches, DJ," Duncan said, grinning in anticipation. "My stomach's ready to digest this yummy crap."

DJ laughed and set down the tray beside him, sitting next to Duncan. Duncan took two sandwiches and shoved them inside his throat.

"You are a freaking master, dude," Duncan sighed happily. "You're in that elite cooking school, right?"

DJ nodded. "We're taking a break for a while, though. All schools are."

Duncan gulped the food down slowly. "Why?"

"Some problem with the government or something, I don't know." DJ looked at the alarm clock. "Didn't you say you were going apartment hunting?"

"Oh, yeah! Hey, can you help me find one? I'm freaking tired of crashing in all you guys_'_ apartments." Duncan yawned. He didn't get much sleep due to images of a so-called Princess.

DJ scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, yeah, I can—but we're going to have a tag-along, so…you wouldn't mind, right?"

_Why does he look so nervous?_ Duncan thought suspiciously.

Duncan smirked. "Nah, I wouldn't. As long as he or she isn't annoying, loud, or stupid, I'm cool." He paused. "Is it Bunny?"

DJ laughed. "No, no. My mama has Bunny. They're bonding right now," he replied happily. He looked proud.

Duncan felt weird about that; he didn't show it, though.

"So, where are we going to meet this—wait, _who _are we meeting?" he asked.

DJ looked away from Duncan. "Er…well, you know…Courtney." He cringed.

Duncan laughed. "Dude, why do you look so scared? I'm actually quite elated to hear that Princess will be joining us. Get ready for some teasing by yours truly, DJ." He smirked, picturing Courtney's hot, furious face.

"Because remember when Trent told you that _Harold _was the one who made your ex-girlfriend dump you? You had this murderous expression on, and it scared me…a lot." DJ chuckled nervously. "But I'm over it, so…"

Duncan shook his head at his friend. "You're weird, dude." He was quiet for a moment. "You know, maybe I didn't punish Harold enough for that incident… I really did like that chick. Her name was…Trisha. Yeah, Trisha. She was hot."

"I thought you liked Courtney?"

Duncan sighed heavily. "Do I?"

–

Courtney sat down on the fountain near her apartment, waiting for DJ to come. He was going to teach her how to cook this certain recipe that she had trouble getting right.

She watched people walk their dogs, exercise, and all those daily routines. Courtney wished she had a dog when she was young; her parents never allowed it. They never allow _anything—_except good grades, scholarships, and anything else related to academics.

She suddenly felt somebody's presence next to her. She whipped her head to the right and saw none other than…

Heather.

Courtney wanted to tear out Heather's eyeballs out of their sockets for calling her an "up-tight ho"—which was true, the up-tight part. Courtney would _never _admit that, though.

Heather smiled politely at her. "Hi, there, Courtney," she greeted, pulling her sunglasses down. "It's nice to see you here."

Courtney put on a fake smile. "Hi, Heather. What are you doing here?" she tried to ask politely.

Heather waved her hand in the air casually. "Oh, you know, I was just driving around the streets, and then I saw you, so I thought, 'I haven't seen Courtney in a while.' Now, here I am, talking to you."

"Um, okay." Then she looked away, still searching for DJ. _DJ, help me from this she-devil! _she thought frantically.

Courtney appraised Heather in her peripheral vision. She was wearing short shorts—which was totally obvious for Heather—and a tube top that showed off her mid-riff. Her long hair was tied in a messy bun in a stylish way. She also wore gladiator sandals.

"So…, Courtney," Heather began, "I heard that you and Duncan are _semi_-friends." She giggled snobbishly. "Listen, a girl and a guy can't be _semi-friends_, even if they have absolutely _no _feelings for each other whatsoever. Eventually you and Duncan will like each other. I've seen that happening to other hopelessly in love couples."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Well, you're wrong there. I will not like Duncan _ever_, Heather. He's not my type, and besides, he doesn't like me that way. Flirting is in his nature."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling that to yourself, Courtney. You may be saying that, but your heart is trying to tell you the truth. You're too stubborn and too dense, so you probably don't hear it. You do, but you just shrug it off, am I right?" Heather smirked.

"No, you are not" is what Courtney wanted to say. No matter how much she despised Heather, she knew she was right. She hated it when she was wrong and other people were right. It made her feel…

Stupid.

Courtney let out another fake smile. "Wow, thanks, Heather. That helped me quite a bit. Thanks again," she said in clenched teeth.

"I'm _always _here to help you know that, right?" Heather sighed dramatically. "But I always thought that Duncan wasn't 'boyfriend-material.'"

Courtney looked at her with confusing eyes. "Why?"

"He's a 'wannabe' bad-ass, right? All bad-asses have a player personality. Your his target, and if you _ever_ fall for his _charms_"—she said that sarcastically—"then you'll regret it, because he'll just throw you away and find another target." Heather leaned in closer. "Take my advice, Courtney: stay strong. Don't be like those other pathetic girls who fell for him and got dumped just like that." She snapped her fingers.

"H-How do _you _know? He might not be like that, you know." Courtney didn't know why, but she just _had _to defend Duncan.

"Okay, then, don't believe me. I'm just saying, because in every get-together Trent always has, he has a different girl in his arms—well, that's if he isn't in prison or something." Heather smiled wickedly.

Courtney glared at her. "You don't know Duncan," she spat.

"You don't know him, either." She stood up from the fountain and smiled that fake warm smile. "I have to go now. Buh-bye, Courtney. Remember what I said and follow it." It was as if she was going to add, "Or else…"

Courtney watched Heather leave to her car, feeling somewhat irritated by said Asian.

_Could what Heather said be true? I know that Heather was the most diabolical liar in high school, but I just didn't know. I don't really know that Duncan that much, so_…_who should I trust?_

"Hey, babe!" a familiar voice called.

She looked up slowly and saw Duncan.

_Speaking of Duncan_…

–

Duncan smiled happily when he saw his Princess sitting on the fountain, looking as gorgeous as ever. Duncan didn't know why, but he always felt like that when he sees her.

_Do I like Courtney?_

"Hi, DJ," Courtney greeted warmly to the animal lover. She narrowed her eyes at Duncan. "What's _he _doing here? I thought it was only you and me."

DJ laughed nervously. "Yeah, well…Duncan needed to go apartment hunting, and he asked me to help him; I said yes. Before I can teach you how to make chicken alfredo, can you help me help Duncan find an apartment?" He pouted.

Courtney reluctantly agreed, "Fine, I will—but I'm not chipping in." She directed that towards Duncan.

"What's with the snappy attitude, babe?" Duncan questioned. "Yesterday, you were all, 'What is this feeling, baby? What am I feeling for you? I love you,' and then we made out passionately."

DJ blushed and gave Courtney a shocked look. "R-Really, Court?"

"_No! _We were having a _mature _conversation about something important and personal! It's completely different than Duncan's juvenile summarization of what happened yesterday." She crossed her arms over her chest for, emphasizing what she explained.

Duncan chuckled. _One day, Princess, you'll stop denying it and fall into my arms. One day, _he thought smugly.

DJ looked awkward. "Um…well, let's get going now, guys. Time's a wastin', right?" He pulled out a folded newspaper from his pocket and opened it up, searching for a certain page. "We can check…'Sunshine Apartments.'"

"The name sounds…ew," Duncan commented, grimacing. "It doesn't match me."

Courtney scoffed. "It's just the name, Duncan. Don't judge things."

"Hypocrite," Duncan sneered.

Courtney glared.

DJ skimmed for more frantically. "How—how about…'Norman Apartments'? The apartment looks nice and the price is reasonable. Do you want to try it?" he offered.

Duncan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know. The apartment looks okay, but the name is—"

Courtney sighed exasperatedly. "Just go check it out first, Duncan! It looks nice, and you should take advantage of this opportunity! Where's it at?" DJ showed her the newspaper. "It's at… Okay, it's close here, so we can just walk." She grabbed both of the guys' arms.

Duncan narrowed his eyes at her. _Pushy freak, _he thought. He looked at DJ who looked scared to death and also looked like he was about to piss his pants. _Poor dude._

_Do I like her?_

There it goes again.

--

Duncan waited for the landlord on the comfy sofas with DJ and Courtney talking about food. It made him feel hungry, but if asked Courtney to leave this crappy place to eat, she'll do things to him. Illegal things. _Hot_, illegal things that will include something very—

"Duncan, stop staring at me like I'm some prostitute!" Courtney spat, interrupting his "Rated XXX" reverie.

Duncan felt drool on his chin and he quickly wiped it. He looked at Courtney who was still glaring at him icily.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said seductively.

Courtney glared at him some more, and then resumed talking to DJ.

Duncan took this opportunity to appraise Courtney's physical appearance. He took in her conservative clothing, which made him almost grimace. She had a hot body, and she was covering it with…unnecessary material. He looked at her luscious, mocha-looking hair. It reminded him of _Starbucks_. He saw her flawless, tan skin, and he just wanted to touch it. His eyes traveled up to her plump, kissable lips. He knew how they felt like and how they moved. Duncan just loved everything about her—minus the uptight attitude and her conservative clothing.

Suddenly the door opened, showing a mid-twenties woman in professional clothing. She looked like an older Courtney except less hotter.

The lady looked at Duncan and gave him a critical look. Then she glared at him fiercely. Duncan was taken aback by her hostile expression.

"I don't like that expression you are giving me, you perverted alien," she said robotically.

Duncan glared at her harshly. "What the hell did I do to you?" he spat. "I don't even freaking know you!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm Madeline McAdams," she introduced, "Trisha's sister."

Duncan's eyes widened. He saw Courtney give him a confused look. DJ looked nervous about this.

"Y-You're Trish's sister?" he stuttered.

"You don't have a right to call her that anymore, _Duncan_—only her friends and family call her that. I cannot believe that you would say those things about Trisha! I thought you loved her and I thought you were different than those other jerks who dated her! What kind of boyfriend calls her girlfriend a 'slutty freak'?!" She took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself down. "She has a boyfriend now—a _good _one, at that. She won't get hurt anymore just like how you—"

Duncan interjected, "I was blackmailed, dude—dudette! This nerd Harold _blackmailed _me! You received a voice recorder or whatever shit, saying that I called her a 'slutty freak,' right?! That stupid nerd must have done some freaky nerdy voodoo with technology to trick me! I would _never _call Trisha that! To be honest, I didn't _love _her, but I cared about her a hell lot! You've seen how I am with her! Believe me!"

Madeline shook her head at me. "It's in the past now, Duncan." She looked at a confused-looking Courtney. "I hope you make up from your mistakes for her. She's pretty. Treat her _right_." Then she left.

Duncan sighed and buried himself in his hands.

_Treat Courtney right, huh? _he thought. _We're not even dating… Damn it, do I like her?_

--

Courtney looked at Duncan sadly. At first, she was about to consider Heather's _advice_, but then when she saw how Duncan defended himself, it made her feel something. She _knew _Duncan was telling the truth. But Courtney also felt something else.

Jealousy. The little green monster. Who's not the hulk—well, not _yet_.

Duncan didn't say that he loved this Trisha girl—he even said so himself—but Courtney couldn't help but feel jealous. Duncan must have cared about her _a lot_. It made Courtney want to be the one he cares about.

"Madeline is going to be living here, right?" Courtney suddenly heard Duncan ask quietly.

"Um…well, maybe, but she probably just wanted to—," Courtney started.

"She might live here," Duncan interrupted. "I don't want to live in the same apartment as my ex-girlfriend's sister. I'll always feel remorse; I don't want that, Courtney." He suddenly stood up and headed out.

Courtney quickly grabbed his wrist. "Duncan, we can't just leave! This apart—!"

Duncan pried his wrist away from Courtney's grip quickly. "No," he said firmly.

Courtney's eyebrows furrowed as she saw Duncan leave the landlord's office. She felt a bulky hand on her shoulder.

"Courtney, we should just go," she heard DJ say softly. "Duncan feels really down. Let's go."

Courtney sighed deeply and nodded. She walked outside and saw Duncan waiting for them, leaning against the wall. He still looked gloomy. DJ was talking to the landlord about cancelling their meeting. Courtney walked slowly to Duncan. She put her hand on her cheek.

"Now, for sure, I _know _you're not acting," she joked lightly. She heard Duncan chuckle quietly, and that made her feel quite relieved.

Then Duncan stayed quiet, not replying. Courtney didn't know what to do. Duncan just looked so…heartbroken. It made Courtney feel _even more _envious towards this Trisha person.

"Duncan, are you o—that's a stupid question…," Courtney muttered.

Duncan chuckled again. "You don't have to try so hard, babe. I just feel sad. I could've tried harder to get her back, you know? I mean, I _really _liked her. But…if I did that, then I wouldn't even be here with you." He smiled at her.

Courtney felt herself blush. She was used to Duncan smirking, but not _smiling_. It was a _genuine_, _warm _smile. It just…made Courtney feel something inside her stomach. Her heart was pounding like crazy. It was making this _th-thump _sound.

_Shut up, heart, _Courtney chastised mentally. _Now's not the time._

"Um, should I say thanks?" Courtney asked unsurely. "I don't really know what to say to be honest."

"Save that 'thank you' crap and just give me a big, wet kiss, Princess," Duncan joked.

Courtney sighed, smiling. There was the Duncan she knew and lo—

Courtney stopped herself. She couldn't love Duncan, right? It's just not… She couldn't explain it. It wasn't about her reputation, right? Right? Right?

"Shut up, Courtney!" she hissed to herself.

"Okay, now I _definitely _think my seductive looks are driving you psycho," Duncan said, laughing quietly. "You okay, babe?"

Courtney looked at Duncan intently. He saw his teal eyes look at her with a semi-joking, semi-concerned expression. She blushed.

_Do I like Duncan?_

--

"And in the end, I don't have an apartment," Duncan narrated quietly to himself. "All because of some unforeseen meeting with my ex's sister… Just freaking crap-tastic."

Courtney bonked Duncan on the head softly. "Don't feel down, idiot. There's always tomorrow. There are multiples of available apartments here," she said positively.

She saw DJ on the phone with someone. He was speaking low, so she couldn't make out what he was saying to the other person.

Duncan grinned at her. "You'll help me, right, honey?"

"I wish you would stop with these ridiculous pet names for me, Duncan," Courtney grumbled. "It sounds…uncharacteristic."

Duncan laughed at her and continued walking to God-knows-where. She didn't care, though. She liked it when Duncan was all teasing and smiling—or, in his case, smirking.

They all arrived in front of Courtney's apartment. Courtney gave DJ and Duncan a small smile.

Duncan whistled lowly. "Damn, I never actually got a chance to look at this beauty." He winked at Courtney. "See ya', sexy."

Courtney rolled her eyes, but nonetheless laughed. "See you guys whenever!" she yelled before jogging up the steps to her apartment. She preferred taking the steps rather than the elevator.

She walked to her apartment door and opened it with her key. She went inside and headed towards the kitchen. She didn't know she was so tired and thirsty. She grabbed a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator and gulped it down until there was no more.

_What a day…_

--

Courtney was currently brushing her teeth. She was ready for a tedious day at work and jeers by Duncan. She smiled, remembering said criminal.

After she was done with her necessities, Courtney whipped herself up some breakfast. She put some bacon on the frying pan, humming quietly to herself. She heard the phone ring, and she put the stove on low. She grabbed the cordless phone near her and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Good a.m., Princess!" Duncan's voice greeted. "How are you doing, your sexiness?"

"Whatever, Duncan. What do you want? You're lucky I'm not in one of my cranky, morning moods," Courtney said, exasperated. "You need to go apartment hunting again?"

"Nah. Apparently DJ already found me one yesterday. I owe that animal-loving dude a _whole lot_."

"Okay, so what do you want? I have to get ready for work."

"We'll go together, sweetie. And it's too early to go. What's the rush?"

"I just always go there early."

"Okay, then. I'm coming over. Bye, darling." He hung up.

Courtney stared at her telephone in astonishment. _What the hell was that? That was so freaking random, _she thought, mystified.

Courtney continued finishing up her breakfast, and then she ate it. She put the dishes in the dishwasher and headed to the bathroom to get ready for work.

All of a sudden, she heard the doorbell ring. Courtney walked quickly to the door and opened it, showing Duncan.

"Duncan," Courtney acknowledged. "That was fast. Were you near my apartment or something?"

Duncan smirked. "You could say that, Princess." He grabbed her hand gently. "I want to show you my new apartment!"

Courtney groaned. "Duncan! I have to get ready for work! I'll be late once I get back home!"

Duncan pouted. "Please, baby?" he pleaded cutely.

Courtney cursed silently and let Duncan drag her to his apartment. She winced at the thought of walking to Duncan's far apartment.

Or so she thought.

She and Duncan stood in front of the apartment which was…_right next door of Courtney's_! Courtney was really taken aback.

"You're—next—Duncan—thought—far—eh?!" Courtney spluttered out. "What the hell is this?!"

Duncan hugged her from behind, putting his strong arms around her waist. "This is, my Princess, an apartment door, which is right next to you." He put his lips near her ear. "Hello, neighbor."

Unbelievable!

--

**Again, I'm so sorry!**

**Poor DJ. He's so scared of Courtney. And I'm sorry! They didn't kiss here! I'm _evil_! Ku-ku-ku.  
**

**The next chapter will be about Courtney's secret. ****Maybe. I don't know. Ha-ha.**

**Review, humans! And or aliens!**

**Monica-san**


	9. Realization and Diseases

He stared.

She glared.

That rhymed.

Courtney sighed irritably and took a couple of deep breaths. It was useless; it didn't calm her down. _Nothing _could calm her down right now.

Duncan kept staring at Courtney, a smirk growing on his mouth. It was a slow day, and he was so bored—what better way than to aggravate Courtney?

Courtney couldn't take it anymore. She groaned aloud and slammed her hands on the counter.

"If no one enters this damn coffee shop, or so help me, I will murder the first person I see!" she shouted. She glared harshly at Duncan. "Which is _you_," she added menacingly.

Duncan gulped. "P-Princess, it's just a slow day, and _I'm _here…so yeah," he replied lamely. "You shouldn't get so…crotchety." He snickered at the word.

"Duncan Aiden Evans… Do you honestly _believe _that _that _statement you just stated will do _anything _to calm me down?" She waved her arms around the shop. "Look at this place—it's freaking vacant! Why can't we just _go home_?!"

Duncan put his arm around her shoulders, chuckling. "Well, babe, maybe Frankie-boy _knew _that it would be a terribly slow day, and he just made us work together _alone_ so we could spend some quality time together." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Courtney gritted her teeth hard. "If Frank really did that, I would do things to him that you wouldn't even want to see."

"Oh, I would. A violent Courtney beating up—_murdering_—poor, innocent Frankie."

They both heard the bells ringing, signaling them that a customer is here. They saw a couple going straight towards them.

_Finally, _Courtney thought exuberantly. _I was just about to enter the world of insanity—Duncan's world._

She pushed Duncan away with her hip and put on a bright, welcoming smile—of course it was fake. If there was one thing she hated about customers, it was couples. They just didn't know what to pick, and they were the ones holding up the queue. It just irritated Courtney. But now she didn't care, as long as there's at least _one _customer, she's fine.

"Welcome to _Starbucks_—how may I help you?" Courtney asked politely. "We have our new flavors: Aged Sumatra and Anniversary Blend."

The boy looked at the girl with a bored look. "Well? Pick something," he said coolly. "We're going to be late for our appointment."

The girl scowled at him. "Do not rush me, Kyle!" she snapped. "It takes time to pick things, you know!"

"Yeah, but apparently I didn't get to do that," Kyle grumbled bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means I didn't get to choose whoever I wanted to date! Our parents _forced _us to date! I'm glad I didn't have to _marry _you!"

The girl looked like she wanted to slap him. She looked angry, but Courtney could tell she was hurt by what he just said.

"It's not my fault, either," she replied quietly. "You don't see _me _blaming it all on you."

Kyle sighed. "I didn't mean that, Amethyst. I'm just saying it's not fair for both of us. I wanted to be with someone I love, not someone I don't know that much."

Amethyst's eyes watered a bit, but she quickly wiped them inconspicuously. "We've known each other for years, Kyle; we're practically childhood friends. How could you say that?"

Courtney would normally get mad at them and tell them to hurry up, but the dramatic scene in front of her was so overwhelming she didn't know what to do.

Duncan was getting annoyed by this Kyle dude. He wanted to give him a guillotine for saying those things to the girl Amethyst. Kyle didn't like her, but…it looked like Amethyst likes _him_. It was a one-sided love.

He stole a glance at Courtney, who looked heartbroken towards this situation. Was their relationship like theirs? But he doesn't like Courtney that way, and the same goes for Courtney.

Duncan wanted to comfort Courtney, pull her in a warm embrace, and kiss her sweetly. It was something Duncan never felt.

_Courtney, _he thought sadly.

"Amethyst, just pick something _please_," Kyle pleaded. "We have to go _now_."

Amethyst's eyes were downcast. She shook her head. "No, let's just go. I don't want anything. We're going to be late, and we'll just go since this appointment's important."

"You can't just change your mind! We're here already, so just—!"

"Hey, she's only doing this so you won't be mad at her anymore, okay, dude?" Duncan intervened. "You're making her sad enough. Stop."

Amethyst stared at Duncan in shock, as well as Courtney. Kyle glared at him harshly.

"This isn't your problem, man. Stay out of it."

"I would, but you're getting on my nerves ever since you opened your freaking cold mouth. Don't you see that your words are hurting her?" Duncan spat.

Courtney grabbed Duncan by the arm. "Duncan, leave them alone. Don't cause a scene," she whispered frantically in his ear.

"It's only us four, babe; I'm not going to attract anybody's attention. Now, let me deal with this punk. In case you might still argue, I will first do it your way—I will be _mature_. If that doesn't work, honey, then I'll do it _my _way which involves some physical things. My way can be your way, too, of course considering how appallingly violent you are." He winked at her.

Courtney didn't glare at him. She just looked at Duncan with a concerned expression. She didn't want him to intervene, but Duncan was stubborn. She sighed eventually and let go of his arm.

Duncan chuckled. "You didn't have to let go of me, Courtney. We're just going to talk here." Then he turned serious and glared at Kyle, who was glaring, as well.

"You should listen to your girlfriend—" he squinted to see his nametag "—Dun…con?"

"What the hell, dude? It's _Duncan_! Didn't you hear Courtney say it? How did you get—?" Kyle pointed at the nametag, and Duncan looked at it, realization dawning on him. "Oh… That was a mistake."

"What kind of person doesn't know how to spell his name?" Kyle jeered.

Courtney giggled loudly. "Apparently Duncan!" she exclaimed. She hugged her sides, because she was laughing hard. "I—I didn't know…you…were—were that…stupid!"

Duncan glared at both of them. He even saw Amethyst trying to stifle her giggles with her mouth. _Well, at least she's not crying. I hate that, _he thought.

"Okay, okay, enough. This situation we're having is serious; don't ruin it with my…blunder." He tried to use wise vocabulary to prove them wrong. All he got was more laughter from Courtney.

"Princess…," Duncan growled. "Now, don't take this personally, but I think _you're _the immature person now. You see one adult and one kid"—Kyle growled at that, knowing what Duncan implied—"having a serious conversation, and you_'_re ruining it with your giggles."

Courtney wiped the tears from her eyes. "S-Sorry… Go continue," she giggled.

Duncan rolled his eyes at Courtney and turned back to Kyle. "Look, all I'm saying is…think before you say, you know? You may not love her, but this girl right here does. It's pretty obvious."

Kyle furrowed his eyebrows. "You…love me?" he asked Amethyst.

She looked away, tears pouring down her porcelain cheeks. "Like what Duncon—"

"Dun_can_," Duncan amended irritably.

"—_Duncan _said, I…do," she finished sadly. "I was elated when I heard that our parents were forcing us to be together for unknown reasons. But…I was sad, as well, because I knew you didn't have the same feelings… I just knew that."

Duncan looked at Courtney sadly. Somehow, he knew how Amethyst felt; he felt her pain. It was like they were alike.

_Do I actually…like Courtney? _

Courtney wanted to _aw_, but she kept her cool. She looked at Duncan, who looked like he was in pain for some reason. Her arms ached to hold him and console him.

_I—I shouldn't have these kinds of thoughts! I can't feel that way towards him! Besides…he doesn't…, _Courtney thought, feeling confused and…quite sad.

Kyle put a hand on her shoulder. "Amethyst, this is why we're seeing a therapist about this." He sighed. "Look, I like you, not _love _you, okay? I don't know, but maybe in the later future I'll come to liking you, so…just wait for me?" He made it a question.

Amethyst smiled a little. "Yeah, I will. I love you enough to do that," she said lovingly. She grabbed his hand gently. "Let's go."

Kyle blushed. "Um, yeah, uh, sure, Amethyst." He suddenly looked at Duncan. "Thanks, man. Here—" He gave them twenty dollars. "Sorry for not buying—" he looked at her nametag "—uh, Courtney. Short-term memory. Sucks. Bye, guys." He gave them a small smile and left, holding hands with Amethyst.

Courtney smiled gently at Duncan. "That was very charming of you, Duncan," she complimented. "You did a very good thing." She pecked him on the cheek.

Duncan turned away, a bit red. "It's nothing. Whatever. Shush," he said incoherently. "It…just reminded me of…well, me."

Courtney gave him a perplexed look. "How so?"

"One of my old girlfriends, Vivian, said she loves me, but then…I didn't feel the same way. She was the first girl to say 'I love you' to me." He smiled a bit. "I felt super guilty when I saw her face; that was when I broke up with her. It wouldn't be fair to keep dating her when I don't feel anything anymore, right?"

Courtney nodded. She never experienced that, but she just…knew.

"You're very experienced, aren't you, Duncan?"

Duncan looked at her lecherously. "In more ways than one."

"It's just like you to ruin the perfectly wonderful, _rare _moments we have." She shook her head amusedly. "You're amazing, you know?"

Duncan stared at her in shock. It was rare of her to actually _compliment _this perverted criminal. He never knew that _at times _Courtney thought so highly of him. It made him feel just plain happy.

Realizing this, Courtney blushed, emphasizing her freckles, and covered her mouth quickly. She just blurted that out unintentionally. What was _wrong _with her?

"I—I—I am in my crazy mode, so please just ignore what I just said and we can just move on with that!" She giggled nervously.

Duncan would normally taunt her about that strange comment she made. But he just smiled at her genuinely and hugged her softly.

"Hey, thanks, Princess," he whispered huskily in her ear. "I…don't get much…er, pleasant compliments like that. So, yeah, thanks."

Courtney smiled and slowly hugged him back. "You are very welcome, Duncan," she replied. "You have your moments, and it's nice to experience them since they appear so infrequently."

Duncan chuckled a bit at that.

They failed to notice the bells ring.

"_Aw! _Look at the two _cute _lovebirds!" a girlie voice squealed. "This is just like this one romantic movie I saw!"

They both quickly let go—reluctantly—and looked to see their _friend _Lindsay smiling widely at them. Shockingly, Beth wasn't with her. They both thought they were literally attached to the hip.

"Hi, Lindsay," Courtney greeted awkwardly. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

Lindsay giggled. "I'm here to talk to you, silly!" She rummaged through her Gucci bag, muttering loudly, "Where's that flyer…? I know it's a colorful paper; is it a colorful paper or a paper? Where—Oh! Got it!" She quickly got out a colorful-looking paper.

Duncan read it: "Come all to the charity festival for underprivileged families! There are many entertaining booths and showcases for you all to see! We will have some mini rides and some clowns for the children! It is on a Saturday between ten o' clock am and seven o' clock pm. Come and help for _charity-y-y-y_!" He grimaced. "Well, that was bogus."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "You're the one who acted out the words on the flyer, stupid," she retorted.

"So! The reason why I'm here is that this baldy guy with a goatee or whatever gave me this and asked me to help with one of the booths there!" She held out her hands, wiggling her fingertips. "I have to get a manicure, so I can't make it! My nail beds are ugly!"

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?" Courtney was getting impatient with the ditz.

"The booth I was supposed to do…is…" Lindsay tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh! It's called 'The Kissing Booth,' starring a beautiful person—which is me! I was looking for some of my close girlfriends to do it! Beth can't, because she has kissing problems"—Duncan laughed at that—"so I'm asking you since…"

"Since…what?" Courtney questioned.

She looked unsure. "Well…" She interlocked her fingers together and put it under her chin, rocking it back and fro. "_Please, please_—don't tell Beth or anyone else this, Courtney! But I _definitely _think you're the second most beautiful person _ever_! Your tan skin, mocha hair, red, kissy-kissy lips, hot bod, pretty onyx eyes, _adorable _freckles, and your boobies—they all are absolutely…a lesser-hotter version of what I could maybe look like if your mom was my mom and your dad was my dad!" She said that all in one breath.

"Um…Lindsay, I apologize, but that's just not my thing. I don't go randomly kissing strangers who are desperate for a kiss. It's for charity, but…I just can't. They might have sexually transmitted disease, human immunodeficiency virus, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome."

Lindsay had a dumb look on. "Huh?" she asked stupidly.

Duncan sighed irritably. "They might have yucky sex thingies in them if you kissy them," he explained, lessening it down.

Lindsay laughed out loud. "Courtney, you should have just said that! Were you speaking Swedish or something?"

Courtney wanted to strangle the blonde in front of her. _How could anybody be that stupid?! She makes Duncan look innocent! _

"Lindsay, I won't—"

Duncan put an arm around my waist casually. "Linds, she'll do it. No worries. I'll be there to watch her."

Lindsay clapped her hands together furiously. "Oh, thank you, _thank you_, Courtney!" She opened the door, the bells jingling. "Remember: don't tell anyone about me saying how you are prettier than everyone else other than me! Not even Dylan! Buh-bye!" She left.

Duncan grumbled. "Did she forget that I was here? Damn chick; she even got my name wrong again."

Courtney pushed him away roughly. "Since when did _you _make the decisions for me?! Didn't you hear me say that I didn't _want _to do that crappy booth!"

"It's for charity, babe."

"I know that! I just don't want to kiss anyone!"

"What make you so sure anyone wants to kiss you?" He smirked.

"You kiss me, don't you?"

That did Duncan. "Touché."

Courtney sighed and put her head on the counter, tired as hell. "I guess I'm going to have do that, huh?" she mumbled. "Well…I'll only do it for the charity, Lindsay…and you since you're so willing. I better get something in return, though." She turned and gave him a beautiful smile.

Duncan grinned back.

_Yeah, I definitely like Courtney._

--

**Ya' like it?!**

**To be honest, I liked the last chapter, but it was too drama-ish for me. The Trisha girl won't be a major person in the story—just to let you know.**

**Two more chapters til' the secret! I want to make this story as long as possible!  
**

**By the way, the flavors Courtney said are real flavors of **_**Starbucks**_**.  
**

**Review, my minions!**

**Monica-san**


	10. Bears and Interdependence

"Lindsay," Courtney growled, "why the heck am I wearing this…piece of material?!"

Lindsay pouted at her. "So that a lot of boys would come to the booth," she answered. "I told you that you're awesome-ly pretty, but your wardrobe is _too_…not showy. I mean, it's really stylish…if you're going to a funeral."

Courtney scoffed. "I am not wearing black, though!"

"Or maybe church!"

Courtney sighed heavily and looked at herself at the full-length mirror. She grimaced. She was wearing what looked like school-girl clothes. She wore a plaid skirt which was _way too _diminutive. She wore a white buttoned-up shirt—except the top three buttons were undone showing cleavage unfortunately for Courtney. She wore a black tie and black, high heels. To narrow it down, she looked like a freaking hooker, stripper, prostitute, succubus, and whatever!

"This outfit doesn't seem charity material, Lindsay," Courtney said. "Why the hell would they even _have _a _kissing _booth?!"

Lindsay shrugged, filing her nails. "I don't know. Mr. Baldy Goatee was looking at me with the same look guys normally give me, and said that I was going to 'man' the booth or whatever that means. He was confusing, and there was water coming out of his mouth. He looked hungry, too! But he was super fat…"

_Of course. To men's eyes, Lindsay is a so-called goddess to them. It's pretty apparent that that baldy pervert would give her such a job in a _charity _festival, _Courtney thought, shaking her head.

"Can't I at least wear a jacket or something?" she implored. "If anyone I know sees me like this, they'll _for sure _never live it down!"

"Fine, fine—but it must be stylish!"

All of a sudden, Courtney's cell-phone rang. She quickly got it out from her phone. In her caller ID, it showed the name _Perverted Criminal _flashing. She sighed, secretly happy, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, baby!" a loud, deep voice greeted. "How's the torture going one with Little Miss Dumb?"

"Oh, it's going fine," she retorted in clenched teeth. "Now, what do you want?"

"That hurt, Princess. Well, I was just wondering when you're going to that booth. I _am _the one who's going to bodyguard you, right?"

"I do not need your help, Duncan. You already made me do this mundane booth, so I've received enough of your _gratitude_."

"I'll ignore that joyful sarcasm and say 'you're welcome,' 'kay? And anyways, _you're _the one who just accepted it right away. I thought you would argue about it for a long period of time; you should've just done _that_, you know." She could picture him with that smirk planted on his annoying mouth.

"Shut up. I don't need your help. Go be juvenile with the boys—I could practically hear Owen gorging down a plethora of food. Goodbye, illicit." She hung up her phone, scowling.

Lindsay jumped up from Courtney's beanbag and gathered her stuff. "I have to go to my appointment now, Court! Ta-ta!" She stared at Courtney's face. "Guys will be scared of you if you keep on having that mad look, you know!" She winked and left, strutting her hips.

Courtney groaned and looked at the time. _It's time for hell_, she thought.

--

Mr. Goatee Baldy, in actuality is Bob Anderson, operator of all events and festivals, was appraising Courtney's outfit. It made Courtney feel incredibly uncomfortable, even though she got these looks from Duncan all the time.

Except Duncan never looked at her like he wanted to do illegal things with her; he only joked around about it.

"It's a shame Lindsay isn't here," Bob sighed. He grinned suddenly. "But I'm feeling happier now that _you're _here, Miss Davis."

Courtney forced a smile. "Oh, please you don't have to be formal with me, Mr. Anderson. Call me 'Courtney.'" _And quit checking me out, _she added mentally.

Bob chuckled. "Likewise, then. Shall I show you your booth? I made it very _special_. There are multiples of men here waiting, and there will be one special man who is going to ask a kiss from you." He winked at her.

Courtney almost vomited. And she wanted to. All over his bald head.

They arrived in front of a scandalous booth. The banner was huge and had pictures of lips and hearts decorating around it. It was all too colorful for Courtney, and she just wanted to rip it off right now.

"It's…pretty," Courtney commented. "It will definitely attract many customers…unfortunately."

Bob smiled at her. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

Bob looked at her, but not at her face. "That won't be the only thing that will attract customers, Courtney."

"I have a boyfriend."

Courtney was confused. _Who said that_? She looked at Bob who looked crestfallen. He didn't say it. He isn't gay, regrettably.

_You said that, idiot!_

Courtney quickly covered her mouth, blushing madly. Her eyes were wide, and she just stood there, looking at a speechless Bob.

Bob narrowed his eyes at her. "What's—what's his name?" he asked.

"D-Duncan Evans," she blurted out unconsciously. "He's…my boyfriend." Courtney was about to add, "I think." He was the first person to pop into her mind.

Bob's lips trembled. "I—I see…" He turned away. "Don't look at me! I must go! I am…ugly!" He ran away, sobbing dramatically.

Courtney glared at the path he just ran to. _Freaking idiot._ She walked over to the booth and sat down on the comfy velvet chair.

She heard her phone ring from her jacket pocket. Luckily, Lindsay allowed her to wear that. Who knows what Bob might do if she didn't wear that jacket.

Courtney smiled at the caller ID. "Hey, Gwen," she greeted softly. "I haven't heard from you in a while!"

Gwen laughed. "Yeah. I've been super occupied with art school. The new teacher is immensely strict—which gets on my nerves every time. She's just like you except even _more _uptight."

"Shut up."

"You know it's true, Court. Anyways, what are you doing right now?"

She felt too reluctant to answer, but she did. "I'm currently operating a kissing booth at a charity festival—you?"

"Oh, that's—wait, what? You, my dear conservative friend, is working at a kissing booth?!" She sighed exasperatedly. "Courtney Rae Davis! You already have Duncan planting kissy goo on your lips! You don't need to have other hopeless losers do that for him! I am…mortified! Yeah, that's a good word!"

"I didn't do this willingly, Gwen. Lindsay asked me to do it, and it's for charity anyway! Duncan's the one who made me do it!"

"Which charity festival? There are lots of them going on now."

"The one for underprivileged families—why? Are you going to rescue me?!"

"Now, now, don't get excited, oh, damsel-in-distress. I am going to be helping out at a charity festival, too. Some bald dude gave me a job—"

"Bob Anderson, the pig," Courtney corrected.

"So, you're at the same charity festival? Cool. Okay, this bald freak gave me this job; I don't know, I accepted it 'cause I needed the money _badly_. I'm going to be the big, stupid bear mascot. If you see a bear, it's me, got it? If you want me to kick some guy's ass, I'll be there with my stuffed, toy sword, _capiche_?"

Courtney sighed, relieved. "Thanks, Gwen," she said warmly. "You don't need to do that, you know."

"Well, I know you can kick their ass, but I'll help. I got to go—I'm gonna get ready. See ya', Court!" There was a click.

Courtney put her phone back in her jacket. She looked up and saw a teenager boy smiling at her. He looked about fifteen years old.

"Welcome, boy," Courtney greeted dully. She didn't care if she didn't get any customers at all. She only agreed to operate the booth, not do anything with it.

"I'm Mark," he said. "And you, madam, are the most wonderful pot of flowers my eyes have ever seen."

_Oh, that's just freaking great! That's just what I needed—a wannabe, Shakespeare romantic! _Courtney yelled in her mind.

"Thanks for the compliment. That'll be twenty-five dollars."

Mark gasped. "How extreme that price is!"

"What do you think? This is for charity, stupid, not some cheap stripper club. Now pay up!" She glared fiercely at him.

Mark screamed out loud. He gave her a fifty dollar—accidentally—and ran away, yelling out, "A beautiful demon she is! I scream in horror! I scream in pure delight, because of her beautiful beauty!"

Courtney took the fifty dollar and smirked mischievously.

_That was easy._

--

Duncan walked down the streets. He was contemplating on whether or not he will go to the festival.

_Ever since I found out I liked her, it's…hard. I don't know how I'll act around her. It was easy to talk normally to her on the phone, but that's because I couldn't see her face… Damn freaking it._

He fortuitously bumped into someone. He looked up and saw a girl glaring at him. She looked like the girl-version of him. She wore black and had a punk look. She looked pretty, but never could compare to Courtney.

_Aw, hell. Stop thinking about her, Duncan!_

The girl sneered, "Why don't you watch where you're going, punk?"

Duncan's temper flared up suddenly. "Why don't you, punkette?"

The girl rolled her eyes at him. "That's a horrible comeback, you know. You just used my question against me. How smart of you. Look, _I _wasn't the one staring off into space like some lovesick fool, all right?" She poked his muscular chest hard.

Duncan felt nervous. Was he that easy to read? What was his expression right now? What the hell?!

"I am not lovesick! I am not a fool! Leave—leave me alone!" His head was pounding with the same questions: Should he go? Should he not go? It was a freaking dilemma for him, and those two questions reminded him of that _Macbeth _play he once did—with the lead part.

The girl sighed. "I'll get this over with. Okay, my name is Stefi—"

"I'm Duncan."

"Whatever. I don't care; I'll call you 'Dork-an.' I can practically see those questions swimming around in your head. Just go to her, Dork-an, okay? Now, buh-bye." She gave him a short wave and jogged towards her destination.

"Thanks, elfy!" Duncan yelled.

"It's _Stefi_, you loser!"

Duncan grinned at her retreating figure. Then he frowned. He always needed other people to answer his questions. He hated that; he didn't lean towards interdependence. It just wasn't like him.

He sighed and headed towards the charity festival.

Which was right next to him.

--

Courtney was glaring at the man called "Christopher"—not that she cared at all. Christopher gave her three dollars—that was the price—and was currently putting chap-stick on his lips.

"Hey, Christopher, are you done yet?" Courtney demanded, irritated. "You're holding up the queue."

Christopher held up a finger at and started smacking his lips. "They won't know I'm taking long; they'll probably think we're taking long, because we are making out heavily," he replied, smiling like a maniac. "Wait—I got to freshen up my mouth." He took out a spray.

"They could see you right now putting on that spray! Guys will soon get irritated and walk away! This is for charity! Just try to do something already!" She earned a lot of money, which surprised Courtney. She thought she would frighten them with her harsh scowl planted on her face. None of the boys kissed her, because she used her stragetizing skills from her C.I.T. camp in high school.

Suddenly, a huge, pink bear mascot came up. The pink bear was smiling joyfully—well, the mask was, but Courtney didn't know if the person inside was. She smiled, though, knowing it was Gwen to the rescue.

"Thanks, Gwen," Courtney mouthed discreetly.

The bear nodded, gave a huge thumbs up, and pushed Christopher out of the way, making him land a few feet away. Courtney laughed, loving, for once, how Gwen was so violent.

"Now that's so much better," Courtney laughed. "Your time was up, Christopher. Next!" She grinned devilishly and fanned herself with the amount of money she got.

The rest of the charity festival went by so fast. It was fun for Courtney, and she was super thankful when Gwen helped her with the guys—by beating them up. But then, after a while, she seemed to disappear.

Courtney pulled out her cell, walking down the street to her apartment. She pressed the speed dial to Gwen's cell. It rung for a while, but Gwen eventually answered.

"Hello?" She sounded tired.

"Gwen, where are you? You were just there, and now you left. Are you at your apartment?"

She heard rustling sounds and an angry curse. "Yeah, I am. Sorry for leaving you; I was just so freaking tired. Stupid guys and teenager freaks."

Courtney laughed shortly. "I know how you feel. They aggravated me, but not one of them kissed me—well, one guy did, but that was a baby. Thanks for your help, Gwen. I appreciated it."

"Um, yeah, sure. I guess; I'm here to help. Wait, what did—?" She heard something fell. "Aw, _crap_! My toothbrush fell down the toilet! I gotta go now! Bye!"

Courtney stared at her phone in amusement. She put it back in her jacket pocket and continued walking. As she arrived in front of the apartment building, she saw Duncan sitting down on the fountain.

"Hi, Duncan," she greeted when she stopped in front of him. "I haven't seen you during the whole day; it felt odd without you there."

Duncan smirked at her. "Missed me?"

Courtney sat down next to him and leaned against him. Duncan involuntarily wrapped his arms around her, putting his chin on her the crown of her head.

"Yeah," she replied quietly, "surprisingly, I did. I wish you were there; it was hectic. Gwen helped me, though. I'm going to do something special for her since she did that, but also because I don't see her that much."

"Ah."

Courtney soon fell asleep on him, and Duncan carried her home.

_I missed you…_

--

Courtney woke up and saw Duncan staring at her with…loving eyes? She looked down and saw herself in new, fresh clothing. She blushed.

"Good evening, Sleeping Beauty," Duncan greeted. "And no, I didn't change your clothes—Bridgette did, along with Gwen. They're currently at Geoff's apartment, doing whatever crap. They told me to bring you to them when you wake up—which is now." He stood up, carrying her bridal style.

"Duncan, I can w—!"

Duncan kissed her briefly, shutting her up. "Just shush, babe. Let's go." He jogged effortlessly to Geoff's apartment. "You're damn heavy for a girl."

"Shut up, you sexist."

"I know I'm sexy."

"Sex_ist_!"

"Keep it comin', baby."

They arrived shortly and Duncan banged on the door impatiently as always. Courtney rolled her eyes at him and smiled when she saw Geoff looking hyper. Bridgette appeared, smiling sheepishly.

"He ate _way _too much candy," she laughed. She started to drag him somewhere else. "Let's go, party boy."

"Mocha's here, though! Even my dude Duncan! The party's just getting started, Bridge!" He kept yelling out nonsense until the door shut. It was like he was drunk.

Gwen came out of the kitchen, drinking some tea. She plopped down on the couch where Duncan and Courtney were sitting at in between them. Duncan glared at her.

"Get away. I want to be near Courtney," he said. "I don't want you next to me."

Gwen ignored him and smiled tiredly at Courtney. "So, tell me about your day since I didn't get to talk to you much on the phone. I had to do…some stuff to get my toothbrush back."

Courtney leaned back against the soft couch and sighed. "You should know, right? You helped me."

"How did I help you? I only saw you there, but you didn't see me, I think. I was going to help you when you were with that short loser, but a lot of children kept coming up to me. I thought for sure that if I wore a black bear suit, kids wouldn't come up to me." She glared at her cup of tea. "Damn smiling face that stupid bear mascot had."

Courtney became rigid. She stared at Gwen in shock. "Did you just say _black _bear suit?" she inquired. "Weren't you in a _pink _bear suit?"

Gwen grimaced. "You could never catch me in bright pink—it was bright pink, right?" Courtney nodded. "Yeah, so that wasn't me. You got the wrong girl, Court."

"So…who was that person who helped me?"

Gwen smiled knowingly and gestured her eyes over Duncan, who seemed interested at the ground. He was playing with the thread of the couch, and he looked nervous.

Courtney smiled. "That was you, right?"

"You caught me," Duncan mumbled. "Besides, that Christopher dope was annoying the hell out of you and me, so I had to do _something_."

"You pushed him."

"That stupid, itchy—"

"_Ugh_, that costume _was _itchy!" Gwen moaned.

"—was limiting my awesome abilities to protect you, Princess."

"Yeah, good rationalization." Courtney gave him a pat on the head. "Thanks, though."

Duncan smirked and grabbed her soft hand. He kissed it softly.

"I'm here to be your knight-in-shining-armor, Courtney." His teal eyes were showing this powerful emotion that Courtney couldn't identify.

Gwen made a sound of disgust. "That's just what I needed after a hard, grueling day at work—two opposite genders staring at each other with sick, lovey-dovey eyes right next to me. Ugh. Ew. Yuck."

--

**I liked this chapter. :D **

**You've made your appearance, and you know who you are!**

**Please review! **

**Monica-san**


	11. Motorcycles and The Secret

Duncan was on the roof of the apartment, basking in the silence. He was lying down on the ground, arms behind his head, just relaxing. For once, he didn't think of Princess, and for once, he didn't see or hear Princess the whole entire morning.

Well, until now.

"Duncan!" he heard a familiar voice shriek. "Duncan Aiden Evans, please come over here! I'm being extraordinarily polite, so you better listen!"

Duncan ignored her, smirking.

"Please, Duncan?!"

The smirk stayed set on his mouth.

"That's it! I wanted to be polite _for once_, and you just brush it away, smirking! I know you're smirking! And I know you're ignoring me! Frank wants us over to _Starbucks _as soon as possible! It's an urgent situation obviously!"

Duncan sighed happily, and muttered, "Was that an annoying fly I just heard?" He snickered, loving his twenty-four seven job.

He didn't hear Courtney for a while, until he heard the door slam from the roof and angry stomps coming towards him. He cringed, knowing how furious Courtney must be right now.

His eyes were closed, but suddenly it turned dark. He knew Courtney was looming over him.

"What is it, Princess?" Duncan asked nonchalantly. "As you can see, I am relaxing up here in complete silence—and you ruined it. Whaddya want?"

"I'm sure you heard me, Duncan," Courtney replied sweetly, which made Duncan tempted to open his eyes. "Frank wants us to report to _Starbucks _right _now_! The way he sounded was so…frenzied! He's panicking! We should help our dear manager, right?"

"He's the one who has a crush on you, babe, not me. He's probably only doing that fake 'Oh, help me, my prince slash princess!' act so he could see you. He didn't know that you would call me, though. That would ruin his grand master plan of getting you to fall in love with him, you know. I don't want to see his pathetic face when he sees me walk in with you, making out without a care in the world. I hate the feeling of remorse. So…bye."

It was quiet. And then a hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him upwards roughly. Duncan's eyes popped wide open. He came face to face with an angry chick.

"Like I said, I'm trying to be civilized—"

"You mean level-headed—which you suck at, I'd have to add."

Courtney thumped him on the forehead _hard_. "—because it's a mature act in my opinion. Frank needs our help, and we should've been gone, like five minutes ago."

"How do you know it was _five minutes ago_? What are you, a clock? And why do people say _five minutes ago _every single freaking time in certain conditions? It's practically labeled as cliché!"

"Don't you try to distract me, idiot! Besides, people say that because it's an automatic thing!" She sighed. "Anyways, let's go now; Frank—probably Zily, as well—is waiting."

Duncan grinned hugely at her. "Not until I get something in return," he bargained. "I want something in return. You want me to go help Frank badly; _I _don't want to go help Frank badly. It's pretty fair that we wager on this, honey."

Courtney slowly let go of her grip on his shirt. "What do you want?" she asked slowly. "It better not be something perverted or anything related to that disgusting adjective."

"Maybe it is, but _anything _counts in this wager—you can't argue with me about it. After all, it's _my _wager to yours."

"Just say it already. You're wasting time."

"Give me a long make-out session right here right now."

Courtney groaned. "Duncan, we don't have time! I'll say it again: Frank needs our help _ASAP_, you got that?!"

"The more you hurry, the faster we get there, Princess."

Duncan watched as Courtney gave him a look of exasperation. She bit her lip, making Duncan want to grab her right now. _Why does she have to be so damn tempting? She's breaking my cool façade! _

Courtney leaned towards Duncan and pressed her lips hard against his eager ones. He quickly responded back, pulling Courtney closer to him. She didn't move; only her lips did. He didn't mind, though. As long as she's accepting his uncanny wager, he's okay.

Too soon for Duncan, Courtney pulled away. She quickly grabbed him by the arm without hesitation and ran. Duncan almost tripped by the sudden action, but quickly regained his balance, in tow with Courtney.

"Do you think we can make it?!" Duncan yelled, the fast wind almost drowning out his deep voice.

"We can't, but let's just stay positive. We're lucky we're both athletic, so we won't get exhausted once we arrive—hopefully," Courtney answered, frowning.

"You didn't have to add that last word, you know."

"Just shut up and run. Talking will increase your chances of getting tired."

They both continued running, hoping they could reach in time and not be tired. They just couldn't be.

--

Courtney drank water feverishly from the drinking fountain. She was so weary she wanted to just collapse on a warm, soft bed and sleep. She looked at Duncan who was panting heavily on the ground.

"We can't make it," he said wearily. "I'm freaking tired; _you're _freaking tired; and maybe Frank and Zily can handle whatever problem by themselves. They're grownup, they'll live. We can't baby them, right?"

Courtney splashed water at him, earning a contented sigh from him. She got the opposite effect she wanted.

"Frank needs our help! We can't just leave our manager and co-worker there, waiting for us! That's just not right, Duncan! Frank might fire us! I don't particularly like this job, but at least the pay and hours are decent. They aren't exactly…on our level of strength—you of all people should know that."

Duncan rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, stop worrying, Drama Queen. It's not like there's a robber there. If it was, Frank would be killed by now, even Zily—and Frank is too much of a coward to fire me…and you," he added, "since you're so _scary_."

"Okay, one: I'm not a 'drama queen.' Two: It's _burglar_, not robber. A robber is someone who robs a place when someone's not there; a burglar is someone who burglars you when they _are _there, got it? Three: Don't be thinking so off-putting! Four: I can be scary whenever I want to be; I don't need any of your cynical remarks about that subject." She collapsed next to him. "We have to think of something, Duncan."

Duncan leaned his forehead against her shoulder. "I'm too tired to think, Courtney," he groaned. "You do the thinking."

"If I do the thinking, then you'll do the stealing."

At the mention of the word "stealing," Duncan immediately perked up.

"What do I do?" He was grinning madly.

Courtney smirked. "You see those motorcycles over there?" She pointed towards the row of motorcycles near a couple of bulky men—and one woman. "Steal one and we'll be there in no time—p—"

Duncan kissed her briefly. "Don't even say that word, honey." He leaned closer. "This is my specialty, but I need you to distract them. Flirt, threaten, annoy, do whatever you're born to do—I would pick annoy."

Courtney narrowed her eyes at him. "Now's not the time, you ogre. Hurry up. I'll do whatever to distract them, but the woman seems hard."

"You can do it, babe."

She smiled at him, and Duncan couldn't help but smile back. Courtney saw something different in his smile; it was more genuine and…warm. His eyes were showing this emotion she couldn't quite identify, and it irked her a bit. She hated not knowing things.

_Duncan…what the hell do I feel for you? _Courtney thought. _You freaking idiot…_

They both began walking toward the supposedly mean bikers. Courtney walked ahead while Duncan hid behind a huge bush.

Courtney gave them a flirtatious smile; she didn't know how to flirt, but it didn't seem so difficult. She tried to bring out her feminine side.

"Hello, boys," she said sweetly. "That's a nice set of motorcycles you guys got there."

The one with the most tattoos smiled enticingly back at her. "Why, thank you very much, sexy," he purred. "What's your name?"

Courtney looked up at him with big, innocent-looking eyes. "It's Monique—yours?" She didn't want to give away her name for this tattoo freak.

_I wonder if Duncan has a tattoo, _she thought. _Crap, shut up, Courtney! _

The tall, mean-looking girl came up, glaring at Courtney with intense contempt. She then turned her fierce glare towards the tattoo guy.

"Mark," she growled, "what the _hell _are you doing?"

Mark rolled his eyes at her. "What do you think I'm doing, Abby? I'm flirting with Monique here." He winked at Courtney. She giggled, and then she inconspicuously showed a look of disgust towards Duncan. She saw him chuckle.

Abby sneered at Courtney. "Look, _Monique_"—she spat out her name—"I don't know what the hell you want, but I don't like girls who suddenly come up and start flirting with other girls' _boyfriends_. _I hate sluts, _okay?"

Courtney's temper blazed up suddenly. She put her hands behind her back, fists forming. Her knuckles were turning white, and she hoped that Abby had a death wish.

She smiled angelically. "What did you just call me, Abby?" she asked innocently. "I didn't quite catch it, because I was staring intently at your _big, ugly face_."

Abby cracked her knuckles hard. _"Hell no!" _she roared. "This prissy, daddy's little girl is talking about my face now?! You are going to feel sorry about this, _Monique_."

Courtney reverse-kicked the man near Mark; he became unconscious in the process. Abby gasped and Mark squealed quietly.

"Juan!" Abby cried. "How the hell did you do that?! That was just one kick, and I didn't even see it!"

"Martial arts classes can make you learn things, dear Ugly." Courtney smirked. "Do you wanna know what _else _I've learned?"

Abby looked frightened, but immediately covered it up with her snobby façade. "That was just one measly kick. Besides, Juan is our weakest fighter. Did you know that _I'm _the leader of this gang?"

"Correction: Juan _was _your weakest fighter."

Abby came charging forward with her fist ready to punch, and Courtney just stood there smirking. Courtney was about to kick Abby in the stomach, when, suddenly, Mark yelled out something incoherent.

Abby and Courtney immediately stopped. Abby snarled at Mark.

"What the hell, Mark?"

Mark hid behind Courtney cowardly. He leaned down to her height and peered at Abby with scared eyes. Courtney wanted to elbow him in the guts for ruining their "friendly conversation," but she remembered her meditation exercise—which she failed.

"I don't want you guys hurting each other over me. I mean, I didn't know that I was that—," Mark started saying, sounding a bit arrogant over the situation.

Abby's fists tightened. "This isn't about you, Mark; this is a women's brawl, and you're in no way a part of it. I insulted her; she insulted me; now we're fighting. Is your name in any of those sentences?"

"But, well, it _did _start with Monique here being interested in me. You blew up and—"

"That was long forgotten, stupid. And I bet she wasn't here for _you_, but for something else." She directed her ruthless eyes towards Courtney. "What is it that you want?"

Courtney smiled. She knew they would be expecting her to say something irritatingly innocent, but instead she said: "Duncan, you can come out now."

Abby looked confused, and even though Courtney couldn't see him, she knew that Mark was confused, as well. Courtney felt Duncan's presence beside her.

"Who are you? What the hell is going on?" Abby inquired irritably.

Duncan nudged Courtney. "All we needed was a motorcycle and you just make the situation even more confusing. Frank's probably in a fetal position by now, you know. Your flirting skills are absolutely sexy, but they contain a whole lot of confusing bad luck," he snickered.

"Oh, shut up, Duncan. I'm not clairvoyant, so I didn't know this was going to happen," Courtney retorted. "You could've stepped in earlier without my permission."

"I was about to, but I was afraid you might go Kung-Fu Panda on my ass if I interrupted your 'woman quarrel.'"

Abby groaned out loud. "Okay, so you mean to tell me that all you wanted was one of our rides?" She shook her head. "Well, you could've just said so! Jeez! You got me all tempered up, and all you wanted was—_Oh, my gosh,_ Monique!" She slapped her forehead, laughing.

Courtney was taken aback, a perplexed look covering her face. "So…you would've just given us one if we asked?"

"Duh! We're out here, because we want to give away free motorcycles since we got plenty of them back at our hangout. These are a bit old, but they're sturdy."

Duncan put his arm around her shoulders. "See, Courtney? All you had to do was _ask_. Sometimes your violent techniques are useless."

Courtney elbowed him hard.

"Courtney?" Mark questioned. "So you're name's not 'Monique'?"

Duncan put an arm around her waist possessively, irking Courtney. "Yeah, that's her name, and I suggest you step away from her and go to your little girlfriend," he said menacingly. "Or else you'll receive something painful from my fist."

Mark glared at him before scampering away to Abby, who looked like she was thinking, "Pathetic." Courtney just rolled her eyes.

Mark inquired, "You guys are dating?"

Courtney was about to retort, but then she quickly snapped her mouth shut. She didn't know how to answer that. She heard Duncan chuckle lowly.

"Something like that, Mark-y boy," he replied. "But she's still _mine_. My fingerprints are _all over her_."

Courtney pushed Duncan away roughly, shocked. "What the hell, Duncan?! You are acting like some obsessed freak. I am not _yours_! I am nobody's property, you got that?!" She was glaring at him.

Duncan put his hands behind his head nonchalantly. "Mm-hm, sure, whatever, babe." He sniffled. "My kisses mean nothing to you. I understand."

Courtney sighed. "Duncan, I wasn't talking ab0ut that; I was—"

"What were you talking about then?"

"I'm just saying that I don't belong to you; I never said anything about your kisses."

"You must've implied it."

Courtney rolled her eyes at Duncan's irrational behavior. "How could that sentence _possibly _imply that your kisses mean nothing to me?!"

"See, you just said it."

Courtney gritted her teeth, fists clenching again. She pulled Duncan by the arm and planted her lips on his firmly—they were angry but feeling lusty at the same time.

She felt Duncan grin against her lips. He knew that he tricked her again, but right now, she didn't care so much. She _wanted _to kiss him, and if she knew that Duncan would cunningly pull this ruse on her, she would still play along.

Duncan started to put his hands under her shirt.

"Stop!" they heard Abby yell. "You guys are in a _public _area! There are children roaming around this park, you know! Do not corrupt their minds by this obscene…scene! Leave that to the middle school craps! You dumb idiots, stop sucking faces _now_!"

Courtney's good side suddenly came back, and she pushed away Duncan, gasping. She looked over at them, smiling sheepishly, lips swollen.

"So…can we have a motorcycle?" she began.

--

Duncan chuckled. "I was right," he said smugly. "Frankie is currently in a fetal position."

When they arrived, the shop was literally vacant. Frank was near the counter on the floor in a fetal position, as what Duncan said. Zily was sitting on one of the chairs, looking at Frank as if he was stupid. That made Duncan chuckle more.

Courtney looked aghast. "What happened here, Frank?!" she gasped. "It's so empty!"

Frank looked at her with scared eyes and just stayed silent.

Zily rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, Frank. Just because you're not used to having no costumers doesn't mean it's the 'end of the freaking world,' you know. Stop thinking that," she snapped irritably. She looked at Duncan and Courtney. "Where were you guys? We called you like almost an hour ago!"

Duncan grinned at Courtney. She looked embarrassed.

"Well…we had a lot of mishaps," she replied quietly.

"On regular days, it takes you only fifteen minutes just to get here, because you come early and you have a high stamina; but when Frank calls you for an emergency, you come here half an hour late. That's really nice, Courtney."

Duncan glared at Zily. "Hey, it—"

Zily cut him off, "Look, I love Courtney. We've worked here together for months, but I'm the assistant manager. I have to help keep things running. I'm _supposed _to scold Courtney—and you. I know that if I'm here then Frank doesn't have to be here, but Frank just loves his job. He enjoys seeing everyone's reactions when they sip our delicious coffee."

Duncan didn't know what to say about that. It wasn't anybody's fault. He didn't even _know _that Zily was the freaking _assistant manager_.

"So, what happened here?" he questioned. "It _is _empty—too empty."

"There's this new, fancy arcade right across from us. It's the afternoon, and our costumers are usually private school students, little children, yadda, yadda. They love our smoothies and whatnot apparently. But that stupid arcade crap is taking away all of our customers, because it has pizza, candy, and all those other junk little kids nowadays like.

"Not one costumer even stepped inside. They were about to, but when they saw the arcade, they immediately went inside." She rubbed her temples. _"Ai nako. Nakaiinis na ako…"_

Duncan didn't know what she said, but he didn't press onto it. He looked outside at the arcade; it looked cool and the designs would definitely attract a lot of little kids.

"Well, we have to do _something_," he said. "Did you guys talk to the manager about this?"

Surprisingly, Frank answered: "This isn't their fault. We can't just blame them for something like this." His voice was quiet. "But the manager of that arcade is my high school enemy. He still remembers me, and he's only doing this to get back at me for all those years. He was always jealous of me every time I do something better than him in business class."

"Why can't we make a negotiation?" Courtney suggested. "They can change their hours or something. Or I can bring in my lawyers…" She smiled evilly.

Frank shook his head, looking a bit frightened at Courtney's smile. "Um, I did ask him that, but he just laughed at me. He would change his hours…if I challenge him to a video game duel. I have always been the _worst _video game player ever, so I can't do that."

Zily spoke, "And I hate video games, so I can't play."

Duncan sighed. "Damn, if only Harold was here…"

Courtney suddenly began walking towards the door. She looked reluctant but determined.

"Hey, Princess, where are you going?"

Her mouth was set in a tight line. "I'm going to challenge the manager."

Duncan laughed. "Baby, I know that you're practically a so-called _master _at everything, but I know that video games—or brainwashing contraptions in your words possibly—would ruin your goody-goody image. I don't think you're adequate enough," he said.

Courtney smiled smugly at him. "You do know that you're talking to a former video game champion slash addict."

--

**Weird chapter seriously.**

**The translation for what Zily muttered is****, "Oh, my gosh. I'm getting annoyed now****…****" Go Pinoy! :D  
**

**I know this may not be all "Oh, crap! That's what the secret was?!" It's not all big, surprising, blah. But I told you that the secret isn't the main part of the story—only partly.**

**In the last chapter, I made a **_**huge **_**mistake. I know some of you may not have caught it, but one of my reviewers did. When Duncan was contemplating on whether or not he should go to the festival, the "To be or not to be" was actually **_**Hamlet**_**, not **_**Macbeth.**_

**Sorry for that careless mistake! I knew that it was **_**Hamlet**_**, but I just typed **_**Macbeth. **_**Stupid lazy me for not researching it!**

**Thank you **_**Freehugs 41 **_**for pointing out that stupid blunder!**

**Review, reviewers/authors/people/aliens!**

**Monica-san~**


	12. Bets and Hobos

The arcade was filled with loud children and a few teenagers, some in private school uniform. It was literally _crammed_. Courtney was glad she wasn't claustrophobic.

Duncan whistled lowly near her. "Well, damn, this place is crowded as hell," he murmured. "I'm going to have to push my way through here by force. I hope the little people won't get hurt."

Courtney looked at Duncan with wide eyes. Even though the sentence was a bit on the joking side, she heard a bit of concern in his voice. It made Courtney's heart flutter for some reason.

Duncan caught Courtney smiling at him. "What?" he asked. "You have something to say to me, babe? Why are you smiling at me?"

Courtney shook her head. "No, it's nothing," she replied. "It's just…not really… It's nothing."

"Oh." He appraised her with criticizing eyes. "Obviously, you don't seem like the video-gamer type."

"It was for a science project. I had to study the affects of video games. Like you once said, I thought of it as brainwashing contraptions." She stared at him. "You know me so well."

Duncan grinned at her. "Yeah, well, being with you makes you learn things, right? My prediction wasn't a lucky guess… I just _knew_."

Courtney nodded, smiling a bit. "My older brother always plays video games all the time back then. I borrowed his games for my experiment. I just kept playing and playing, and soon, I was addicted. I kept it a secret, though.

"The obsessed video-gamers named me as the queen of all games. It was hard to keep it a secret, because one time I almost got caught sneaking out of the house to go to the annual video game competition." She sighed, smiling. "I stopped, because I knew that my grades would slip and my parents would find out eventually. My friends—yes, including _you_, too—and my brother only knows about this secret."

Duncan slipped an arm around her waist. "I gotta say you being a videogame nerd kind of…turns me on," he growled in her ear. "Well, sort of," he added.

Courtney pushed him away, blushing, and went ahead to look for the manager. Frank said he doesn't know how he looks like now, so she has to look the complicated way. She scanned the crowd of teenagers and little children. She went to the counter and saw a bored female employee.

"Excuse me," she said politely, "I am looking for your manager."

The girl—her name tag said 'Christel'—looked up from her magazine. "He's in the back," she said. "Do you want me to call him?" She paused. "Oh, wait, you have to tell me why you need to speak with him."

"I work in _Starbucks_."

Christel's eyebrows rose up. "Okay," she replied, smirking. "So you're going to challenge him… What's your name?"

"Courtney."

"Hmm, Courtney. Nice name you got there. You'll be versing him in the back room." She pointed to the room with her thumb. "Good luck—you're gonna need it."

Courtney smirked. "No. I believe _he's _going to need it, Christel." She winked at Duncan and went inside the room.

--

Duncan leaned against the counter and smirked at Christel. "Wanna make a bet, sweetheart?" he asked.

Christel's eyes turned lustful and she smirked, as well. "You name it, babe."

"I'm going for the sexy lady who went inside. Fifty bucks?"

"I'm going for my cuckoo boss in there. A hundred bucks."

"You're on, sunshine."

"It's been on."

They shook hands.

--

Courtney walked into the dim room. She followed the videogame sounds which were ahead. She almost tripped on one of the wires. There were so many of them.

The room had multiples of shelves, where games and consoles are stacked upon. There were ancient consoles and some consoles that weren't even in Canada yet but were in Japan. She would know unfortunately.

She kept walking.

All of a sudden, the videogame sounds stopped and she stopped, as well. She heard footsteps coming near. She would've been scared if this was a normal, clichéd movie; but this was reality and she wasn't like those wimpy girls.

"You're finally here, Frank," a deep, mature voice announced. "I've been waiting, you know."

Courtney imagined his voice to be squeaky or something similar to Harold's vocals.

She cleared her throat. "You've assumed wrong," she replied. "I'm not Frank; I'm one of his employees."

The man stepped into the dim lights, but Courtney could still see him. She was surprised on how handsome he is—but only quite. He was lanky looking and was an average height. He wore casual clothing, and he seemed like a friendly guy.

He was nothing like Frank said.

"Surprised?" the man chuckled. "Don't worry, lady—I get that _a lot_."

Courtney shook her head, chin up high defiantly. "No, I am not," she lied. "I don't judge people by how they look. I used to be a videogame addict, you know."

The man smiled. "All right, then. I'm Alec Williams. And you are Miss…?"

"Courtney Davis. But let's not be formal, shall we?" She was using her curt façade. Even though he may seem forthcoming, she still had her suspicions. He could very well be acting right now.

Like Duncan.

Courtney cringed. _Now's not the time to be thinking about that jerk! _

"Why are you cringing? Not to sound boastful, but I'm not an intimidating person. People's first impressions are usually me being a friendly guy, is it not?"

"Perceptive, are we? And I didn't cringe because of your face. It was something I thought of—which you shouldn't know. You're not intimidating, either; I've seen worse."

"Ouch, Courtney. How discourteous you are being. And to think I was going to go easy on you." He shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Well, I'll just push that advantage away."

Courtney glared harshly at him. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you can go _easy on me_. I _know _I can beat you, so don't even try. I'll beat you even if you _don't _go easy on me."

"You're being very egocentric."

"It's called confidence, dear Alec."

He gestured towards the set up consoles. "Well, let's see if confidence will help you win, Miss Courtney."

Courtney followed him towards the consoles and sat down on the black beanbag. She grabbed a controller and took a deep breath.

Alec laughed. "Relax, Miss Courtney—it's not the end of the world," he joked.

She was getting irritated by his carefree attitude. "It is for Frank."

"He's still the same weak fool, huh? I thought after all these years he'd actually _grow up_ and be a man. Back in high school, people unspecified that he was a girl in disguise, but they made sure he wasn't. I'm sure you know how." He smirked.

"You guys _bullied _Frank?" Courtney asked incredulously. She wasn't _really _all that shocked, but it just made her feel pity for Frank. She was never bullied—rather she was the _bully_, but she doesn't know that—but she knew that it _hurts_. "That's so…immature, Alec. How dare you do that to Frank?"

"We didn't bully him; we just merely did fun stuff to him. It's his fault for not enjoying it. And why do you sound so concerned for Frankie? Do you like him?" He shook his head, chuckling. "Well, I wouldn't be against it given that Frank does need a good dose of _strength_."

_Snap!_

Courtney snapped the controller into pieces. She immediately threw away the broken parts to the side, glaring icily at Alec. Courtney just wanted to beat up Alec so badly, but she controlled herself. She had to do some things.

Alec, on the other hand, looked terrified. Courtney would've smirked, but she was too infuriated to do so. Immediately, Alec covered up his frightened expression and there appeared his faux friendly expression.

"Look," Courtney growled, "I'm not going to beat you up—doing that action wouldn't satisfy me enough and being in court is too much of a pain in the ass right now. Instead, I'll _crush _your pride. You're considered as the top video-gamer of all or whatever shit, right? I'll _destroy _you, Alec." She looked back at the broken wireless controller. "I need another one—_pronto_."

Alec quickly gave her a controller from behind him and threw it at Courtney, which she gracefully caught. She pressed the button in the front to on it.

"Let's start now," Courtney announced expressionlessly.

She heard him gulp and start the game.

"We're playing _Call of Duty_, okay?" Alec informed quietly. "I'm known as the best sniper in the g—"

Courtney interjected irritably, "I don't give a shit, all right? Now, shut up and let's start this damn game so I can go leave, damn it."

They started with Alec trembling in fear and Courtney enraged—or beyond it.

--

Duncan yawned and stretched his arms hard. "Damn, how long are they going to take?" he asked tiredly. "I wanna go home now."

Christel answered without looking up from her magazine: "I don't know. If Courtney is on par with Alec, then it'll take super long. You just have to wait, I guess." She peered up at him. "You're still on for the bet, babe?"

Duncan smirked at her. "Of course, Christel. I don't have the money, though. I'm gonna have to steal it. There are a lot of stuck-up, rich people here, so that shouldn't be too difficult."

"You're so weird. What if your girlfriend finds out and throws a dramatic fit?"

"She's not my girlfriend…" He sounded disappointed.

Christel was shocked, but looked slightly relieved. "Oh. Well, I thought that… Never mind. You guys seem close—literally _and _figuratively. I mean, it's like you guys are just…you know, _automatically _together, right? It's hard to explain."

Duncan chuckled. "Tell that to her."

"Holy shamans!" a hoarse voice yelled out. "Duncan Evans, is that you, my old, violent friend?!"

Duncan turned around and groaned out loud, not caring if he heard it. "Aw, great. Like we needed another videogame freak-azoid," he said. "What are you doing here, Harold?"

Harold smiled at Duncan, pushing his glasses up. "Salutations, Duncan. Are you here to play the new arcade game 'Battle of the Robotic-Squeatins'?" he asked. "I heard that it's an awesome game. Excuse me, miss, but may I have your opinions about this game?"

Christel rolled her eyes at him. "It's a good game," she said monotonously.

Duncan chuckled. "Look, Harold, just leave your geek crap to someone else. Christel and I are waiting impatiently for Courtney and that obsessed gamer dude in there, got it?"

Harold glared at him. "You cannot tell me what to do, Duncan." Then he gasped. "Oh! I heard that your manager is one of the top notch videogame _legends_! May I have his autograph?!"

"Don't ask me, dude," Christel snorted. "I don't even think Alec gives out autographs. And if he did, he wouldn't want to give it to a low-class, 'WoW' paladins-lover like _you_."

"O-m-g! You know 'World of Warcraft'? I love how the paladins have this holy aura surrounding them. They make good—!"

Duncan smacked Harold on the back hard. "Harold, we both do not give a crap about your 'World of Warcrap.'"

Harold glared at him, wheezing. "It's 'World of—'"

Duncan gripped Harold's neck and began dragging him. He smiled over at Christel. "I'm gonna go dispose the useless nerd, m'kay? Tell me if Miss Sexy Pants and McNerdyFreak is done playing whatever junk."

"But, Duncan, I can't leave my—"

He was already gone, torturing Harold in the dumpster.

--

Alec stared at the TV screen, mouth widely ajar. He didn't utter a single word or sound. Courtney sat there, feeling hugely smug and was waiting for Alec to say something. She knew she was going to win all along.

"But—but—but how?" Alex sputtered out. "I—I—I—I don't…under—understand! I never—I never lose! This is so implausible! Did you rig the device or something?!"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "I'm a former video-game addict, not a technology whiz—well, maybe," she replied. "Now, I believe you have some _changing _to do, dear Alec."

"But…this is—"

"Stop acting so shocked and change your arcade hours already!" Then an idea popped into Courtney's mind. "You know, instead of wasting my time beating a lowlife like you, I could've just sued your arcade."

Alec whipped his head towards her. "What?! Why?!"

"Well, because all of these games are corrupting the poor children's minds. Some consoles and games aren't even in Canada yet. And it's completely violating the health code—it's much too cramped up in here. You're using artificial cheese for the pizza, as well," she explained, smirking. "It's obvious, but only quite to certain minds."

"How in the world do _you _know about the artificial cheese? You might be lying, Miss Courtney." He held up his chin boldly.

"I went to a cheese factory for a prize—damn that competition—and I learned things there obviously. More like they brainwashed me, and forever it will be embedded in my brain."

Alec's casual façade was quickly slipping away. It was showing an over-stressed, panicky _boy _underneath. It looked entirely _pitiable _in Courtney's opinion.

"Do you have something to explain to yourself and that artificial crap you call cheese, dear Alec?" Courtney inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Alec glared at her. "It's not my fault that cheese nowadays is expensive!" he cried.

"Hm, not my problem at all. Now, you better change your schedules or I will _sue _you. I have powerful lawyers, you know. They will take away _everything _from you and _win_." She began to leave. She looked back and gave Alec a look of huge contempt. "I'll be watching you."

Courtney walked to the door, trying not to trip over the tangled wires. _I'm going to have to talk to him again about _this _now, _she thought.

When Courtney opened the door, she cringed at the vibrant lights. She was so acclimated to the dim lights back in the room. After blinking her eyes a couple of times, she spotted Christel, who was looking at her with curious eyes along with Duncan.

"What happened, babe?" Duncan asked. "You made me miss you."

"How sweet," she replied cynically. "Well, to summarize it, I won." She smiled smugly.

Duncan chuckled at her, unconsciously intertwining their fingers. Christel's jaw hung wide open. Duncan pointed at her mouth.

"Careful there, honey—you might catch flies because of Harold's dunk in the skunk!" He laughed loudly. "And pay up."

Christel shut her mouth with a snap and walked towards the cash register, taking out a straight hundred dollar bill. She handed it out towards Duncan.

Duncan gladly took it, grinning madly.

"Won't you get in trouble or fired?" Courtney asked.

"It's _his _fault for losing, so I don't think so. He doesn't even look in the cash register, anyways. He's a videogame noob, always confined in his dim, wire-filled office. Ugh."

Duncan turned to Courtney. "Wanna spend this to useless things, Princess? On me obviously," he said excitedly.

Courtney yawned. "No, I'm too tired. That freaking creep wasted all of my energy on that game. I just want to collapse happily on my bed."

He pouted. "Oh, come on. Let's do something with this amount of money."

"You betted on me?"

"Hell yeah."

Courtney pursed her lips. "Take me somewhere special tomorrow night, okay? Surprise me. I don't want it to be all that clichéd. Make it…you, I guess."

Duncan kissed her lightly on the lips. "With pleasure, baby." He looked at her intense eyes. "So it's a date?"

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "It's a date."

--

Harold sat on the sidewalk, leaning against the brick wall. Next to him was a hobo, who was grinning manically at him. The hobo held up a sign that said "World ends in 2012. And you're pretty…pretty ugly." _Some words have spelling errors_, Harold thought.

A convertible, showing a stereotypical playboy surrounded by curvaceous women, music blaring out, pulled up next to him and the hobo. The man grinned at him.

"Hey, hobo! I can smell you from miles away! Why don't you take a carwash?! Ha-ha! You smell worse than that crazy dude next to you!" He winked at him and then left, laughing out loud.

Harold sniffled and looked at the hobo. "I don't smell _that _bad, do I?" he asked, frowning.

The hobo leaned over and smelled him. He fainted.

"I thought so."

--

**Sorry it was late. Stupid projects.**

**I watched "2012"! Awesome movie! I cried! Ha-ha!**

**Poor Harold. He's always getting picked on. Huzzah, fellow "WoW" lovers!**

**Moinca-san**


	13. Déjà Vu and The Date

Duncan was in Courtney's living room, flipping through the channels of her flat screen. He wasn't _invited _here rather he _snuck _in here. Picking a lock was easy as pie for Duncan.

"Jeez, there's nothing on today," he mumbled to himself. "All the channels are freaking showing little kid shows and crap."

He sighed deeply and got up, heading to her small, simple-designed kitchen. He opened her refrigerator and began looking for some decent food to eat. He grinned when he saw a huge plate of pasta in there. He was about to take it when he heard a loud gasp.

"What the hell, Duncan?!" he heard Courtney exclaim.

Duncan quickly turned around, shutting the refrigerator door with his foot. He smirked when he saw Courtney in a short towel, dripping wet. He could practically smell her delicious aroma.

"You're giving me déjà vu, Princess," Duncan chuckled. "Except your wetter and your towel got _shorter_—you're trying to seduce me?"

Courtney's nostrils flared out angrily. "Get _out_," she hissed menacingly. "I'm giving you—"

Duncan quickly ran over to Courtney, pinning her against the wall. He smirked as he saw her eyes widen hugely. Before she was about to yell out a harsh retort, he captured her lips with his eager, hormonal-crazed ones. Courtney's arms were holding her towel up tightly, and Duncan took this advantage to trap her within his muscular ones.

After about four minutes of making out, Duncan pulled away, gasping heavily. His eyes had this hungry look, and he saw Courtney's eyes were a _bit _glazed over. He liked having this affect on his Princess.

My _Princess_? Duncan thought. _Damn, that has a nice ring to it. All I have to do is…_

Duncan bit Courtney on her lip, making her kick him where it hurts—his manly possession. He toppled over, falling on Courtney and they both slid down on the floor with an earsplitting _thump!_

Duncan was groaning quietly, biting his lip. Courtney whacked him on the head harshly. Now Duncan had to hold his possession _and _his head. He's in love with—

_Whoa, whoa—too soon for that, dude, _he thought. _…__I think_.

"You're too freaking heavy, Duncan! Get the hell off of me!" Courtney yelled, struggling to slip out of Duncan's heavy body. Unfortunately, for Duncan, her towel didn't slip off.

"Well, it's _your own damn fault_! You're the one who freaking kicked me in the precious place of every man! Then you thumped me on the head! What the hell is wrong with you, woman?!" he yelled back, face inches away from hers.

"What the hell is wrong with _me_?! What the hell is wrong with _you_?! You freaking _bit my lip_! That hurt, and I'm surprised it's not bleeding by now!" She touched her lips.

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a baby, Princess—I was just marking my territory."

"Well, you didn't have to bite—" She stopped, narrowing her eyes. "'Marking my territory'? Since when was I your _territory_? Duncan, will you explain that _please_?"

"Courtney, look at us. I'm on top of you and you're half-_naked_—"

"That's because—!"

Duncan kissed her briefly. "Shut up and let me talk. Okay, what we're doing is obviously what couples do, right? We're even going on a date tonight! You even agreed that it was a date, babe! And what does that mean? Hmm, I think, oh, I don't know that we're _dating_?"

"But it's not like…we like each other that way, Duncan," Courtney protested quietly. "Sure, we make out and all, but…don't we hate each other?"

"Princess, you're the only one doing the hating in this relationship."

Courtney gasped. She looked away from him, eyes downcast. He almost regretted saying that, but hey, it was the truth, wasn't it? Duncan likes Courtney, and if he wants to be with her, he has to be honest with her. Courtney looked back up with sad eyes.

"I thought you hated me," she said. "I didn't know that…I was the only one doing the 'hating in this relationship' or whatever we have." She sighed. "Are you…you saying that you _like _me?"

Duncan grinned at her widely. "Bingo, Princess."

"I—I want to like you, but… Or maybe—maybe I _do _like you. I'm just confused, and this position isn't making it any better." She struggled again.

"I'm not getting off of you until you tell me how you feel about me, babe." He gave her a mischievous smile. "I promise you that."

Courtney looked at him pleadingly. "Can you give me some time? At least…when we have our date—please?" she implored. "I'm just too perplexed right now. You just attacked me, bit my lip, suffocated me right now, confessed, and asked me if I felt the same way all of a sudden. Give me time to breathe, stupid!"

Duncan laughed. "All right then, baby. I'll give you time, and you _better _tell me, or else I'll _force _it out of you."

"Oh yeah? I'll kick you in the same _special _place again if you don't get off of me right _now_."

He immediately got off of her, knowing she would do it.

--

Courtney glared at her closet as if it was irritating her—which it was. She didn't know what to wear. Well, it's just _Duncan_, the guy who confessed to her strangely, so she shouldn't be unsure on what to wear, right?

"What if he doesn't like what I'll wear?" she murmured to herself, feeling insecure. She suddenly slapped herself hard. "Duncan doesn't even criticize on what—wait…he did. He said my wardrobe is too 'conservative.' He even had a grimace on… Crap."

She heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Princess," Duncan said from the other side exasperatedly. "The day isn't getting any younger and the same goes for you and me. I thought you weren't like those girls who waste time being pretty and junk. Hurry the hell up, babe!"

Courtney scowled. "I'm already putting my pants on! You can't rush me, Duncan, and I am _not _like those other girls! So, right now, shut up!" she yelled, denying the fact that Duncan was right.

She hastily put on her bottoms she randomly picked from the closet and headed out of the room. The door slammed into something hard, and she heard Duncan curse loudly.

Duncan clutched his forehead and nose while glaring at Courtney. "What the hell, Courtney?!" he screamed. "That freaking—" He broke off with a hiss.

Courtney rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, it's not my fault _somebody _was in front of the door. Didn't you learn in kindergarten not to stand in front of doors?"

He grinned childishly. "No, I didn't, Miss Courtney. I had to learn it the _hard _way _today_."

"My gosh, when are you _never _so incredibly infantile? It's not even normal, but you're—" She shook her head. "Wow, déjà vu."

"We've been having it a lot today, sweetheart. Must mean something, huh?" He appraised her, smirking. "I'd love to see you walk around like this, but not in public. There are children outside, you know."

Courtney looked at him confusedly before looking down. She turned red with embarrassment and quickly went inside her room.

"Who knew the 'intelligent, good-at-everything, overachiever' Courtney would forget to _put a shirt on_?" she heard Duncan mutter out loud. "The world's going crazy, and you're responsible for taking away its sanity, Princess!"

"Duncan, seriously, I will give you the worse kick _ever_, that you will never walk and never have babies!" Courtney growled, coming out of the room, _not _topless.

"'I wish these were brains.' And they're directly on your huge rack." He leaned closer, lips near her ear. "Kinky—I never knew you're the type to buy these kinds of shirts."

Courtney tried to make her voice sound even. Duncan's close proximity was making her uncomfortable—in a good way. "Gwen bought me this on my birthday as a joke. She and Bridgette made a joke about me having three brains. The brain in my cranium and…well, _you know_… I told them it wasn't possible."

"Why?" His hands started to go on her waist, thumbs lifting her shirt slightly up.

"W-Well, think about Lindsay…"

He laughed. "You're damn funny, babe." Then he kissed her—fiercely. It was as if he can never get tired of doing this with her.

Courtney gasped when he let go. His lips were traveling her collarbone.

"Um…Duncan, remember that date we were going to have? Yeah…I think we should get to it right now. This can…w—oh!" He nipped a skin. "What the hell?!"

Duncan pulled away, kissed her once, twice, thrice, frice—wait, that's not a word.

_Damn it, Duncan. You're making me stupid! Stop rubbing your stupidity all over me! _Courtney shouted in her mind.

Then Duncan started leaving, heading outside. He smirked at her and winked.

"Ready to go, hot stuff?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, loser. But stop biting me!"

"Can't promise you that."

Courtney gave him a hard glare before running after Duncan, who didn't even wait for her, secretly giddy about the date they were going to have.

--

Duncan was currently carrying Courtney on his back. He had this annoyed face on, and Courtney's ranting wasn't helping it; it just made him more annoyed.

"…you couldn't even catch me?! And you call yourself 'Mr. Big and Strong.' Whatever! Now, I sprained my ankle, and you practically threw me on your back casually like I was a bag of crap! I don't need your—"

"Ugh, Princess, you're getting on my freaking nerves," Duncan interjected. "Look, I'm only doing this, because I don't want to hear you complaining, 'Why aren't you helping me?!' I'm being _chivalrous _for _you_, so suck it up and shut up. Gosh, I'm becoming deaf now…"

Courtney was silent for a while, and that surprised Duncan. "You're too exaggerating," she finally said. "And my vocal chords aren't low."

"Mh-hmm…"

What happened was Courtney was walking ahead of Duncan, scolding at him irritatingly about whatever. He wasn't really listening. Courtney failed to see the huge rock—don't ask him _why _there's a huge rock in the middle of the street—and she fell. It was kind of unexpected, because Courtney was a graceful, martial-arts bad-ass.

And now he's carrying her so she won't nag about him not being a _gentleman_—which bit him in the ass or his _ear_.

Courtney put her cheek near Duncan's. "Why are you so quiet? It's so…not you," she finished lamely. "I mean, you mostly say something idiotic out of the blue, and then we start arguing."

Duncan tried to not show the pain on his face. Was their relationship just full of arguments and jokes? Where they _really _into each other?

_But wait—I don't even know that Courtney likes me back even though I know it already. Damn it, Princess…_

"You know, you should already know that I like you," Duncan said casually. "It's pretty obvious, though I show it in a different way. I'm not all sappy, so you shouldn't expect me to say, 'I like you, Courtney, and I want to be your boyfriend. I think you're pretty, smart, uptight, yadda, yadda' straight up. That's not me, all right? Some people like to show their affection in a different way sometimes."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Courtney exclaimed. "I thought you were joking! Because…well—"

"Like I said, Courtney, I show my affection in a different way. You're smart, aren't you? It isn't that hard to figure it out. Normally, when I want to get with another girl—I'm sure you know what I mean by that—I flirt like how I do with you. Ever since I found out that I _really _like you"—_not _'love'—"I didn't know how to react around you. I was afraid I might make a complete idiot out of myself."

"Duncan," she whispered sadly. "Let's…go sit down on that dilapidated bench over there." She pointed next to the huge, shady tree. "It's difficult to talk like this."

Duncan chuckled. "There you go again with your advanced speech. Are you a living dictionary or what?"

"What," was all she said. From the corner of his eye, he saw her smiling goofily.

"You look high, babe."

She tightened her arms around his neck, choking him until he said "Uncle."

Which he did when he almost turned fully blue.

After a couple of teasing and pecks, they arrived in front of the broken-down bench. It was a hot day, but the tree was helping them. Duncan dumped her on the bench, and then took a seat next to her.

Courtney punched him on the forearm. "Ogre, the bench might have collapsed! You're lucky it didn't," she chastised, punching him again.

Duncan snorted. "It's not my fault you're so damn heavy." He put his arms behind his head, leaning back, the bench creaking a little.

Courtney pushed his back up roughly. "Don't you hear the bench creaking?! That means that putting all your weight on the most sensitive part of the bench might make it disintegrate, and we'll fall on our asses!"

Duncan took this time to contemplate while Courtney nagged again. Sure, it irritated him to death, but it was amusing at the same time. Irritation and anger make Courtney look hotter and just _her_. It wouldn't be right if there wasn't a day Courtney would get mad or start her "You are so stupid, I'm better than you" agenda.

Well, Duncan just plain likes Courtney ever since. At first, he thought it was physical attraction—she was a hot creature with pointless clothing on. She was almost good at everything, and Duncan likes a girl who wasn't all weak and too dependent. To narrow it down, Duncan's type is: uptight, strong, _hot_, smart, hot-tempered, stubborn, and…hot—all of that fitted Courtney's personality.

_Love? Could be, _Duncan decided mentally. He was tired of ignoring his heart. He finally figured out that his heart was a good consultant—though sometimes it irked him.

"Babe, the date isn't over, but tell me—I wanna know," Duncan said firmly. "I'm not a patient person, and I can't wait forever. I mean, it's just one answer you have to give me: 'Yes' or 'No'?" _I already know what the answer's going to be, though._

Courtney's eyes widened. She looked away, and her fists clenched tightly. The tan skin on her knuckles started to turn white. What was so hard? Why couldn't Courtney just admit that she likes him, so they can make out furiously and get it over with, happily together?

"I…" She bit her lip hard, tempting Duncan again.

_Not yet, Duncan._

She looked at him with large, sad eyes. "I'm con—," she started saying.

Duncan growled, "Don't give me that 'I'm confused' bullshit, Courtney. I'm being serious now, and I'm not like those guys who wait forever just to—"

"I know that!" she snapped. "Stop saying that! I _know _you're not like other guys, Duncan. I'm not an idiot." She sighed. "I just don't know what to say! I _do _feel attracted to you…but I…just don't know."

"Is that your way of saying 'no'?" His voice was expressionless. "Is it?"

"Duncan, please give me—"

"Is that your way of saying 'no'?" he repeated coldly. "Just say it already, Courtney."

She gulped. "Y-Yes…"

Duncan stared at her long and hard before sighing and standing up quickly. He put his hands inside his pockets. He was about to leave her but then stopped.

"I was so sure that you liked me back," he chuckled without emotion. "So sure that…I was so happy, and I was finally going to say these cheesy words, you know."

"Which are?" she asked quietly, heartbroken.

Duncan stared up at the sky, almost smiling at how beautiful the day was—but the feelings right now weren't for him. He looked down on the ground, and then looked at Courtney.

"I'm in love with you."

--

**I think you guys would probably not like this chapter. I'm sorry. :( The chapter was regular, but the story seemed too short. This is a part 1, but the next chapter will have a different title. **

**But I hope you like the DXC fluff and kisses. ;) It was all happy and stuff in the beginning, but as it went on...yeah.**

**I tried to make them more into character. Duncan's always sure of his feelings and Courtney's always denying everything. She worries about the other things. The story will give you her thoughts around the situation. **

**Let's just say she'll get a slap in the face—figuratively speaking, of course, since she'll beat up the person who did that. :D And Courtney's shirt is real; I saw it on the internet.  
**

**Thanks to those who review, and I'm super, super grateful for your guys' kindness. Please review and I hope you like this chapter.**

**Monica-san**


	14. Faults and Bi Polar

_Why am I so freaking _stupid_?_

Courtney was walking—or _limping_—to God-knows-where. She didn't care if something happened to her, because she was full of immense remorse. She wouldn't be surprised if that regret inside of her swallowed her up.

She sighed heavily.

She only said that _for Duncan_. She knew how her parents would react if they saw Duncan. If they were to date and her parents would find out he was a criminal, she would be confined in her room—her _old_ room. Her parents could very well win the "World's Strictest Parents" award. She just didn't want Duncan to suffer her parent's wrath.

_But, _she thought, _Duncan can handle them, right? And why would I care about what my parents think? I'm an adult now—I'm living on my own; I've got a decent-paying job; I'm doing good in school, even though we haven't had school in a while due to stupid problems; and…I've got an idiot who's in love with me._

Courtney wanted to cry right now, but she couldn't—she just couldn't. Some guy passer-bys asked if she needed help in walking, because they saw her limping. They only did that because of lust, obviously.

_Duncan did that at first. And he stole my first kiss. And we had odd, fun times together. And he confessed to me…_

Again, she was only doing this for Duncan. Her parents were powerful, considering they own a rich business corporation. And anyways, Courtney wouldn't be a good girlfriend. She would follow her parents' every whim without question.

Her phone rang, and she quickly checked it, hoping it was Duncan.

But her hopes died when she saw the title "Bridgette" flashing on her phone. She sighed and answered it.

"Hi, Bridgette."

"Where are you?" Bridgette asked seriously. "Come home now. When I was walking to your apartment to visit you since I haven't seen you in a _long _time, I saw Duncan go in his apartment with a depressed look. I want to know now."

"I would be there by now if I didn't have a sprained ankle," Courtney snapped. She didn't know why she was putting her anger on Bridgette, but she was.

"Fine, Geoff will pick you up. I'm too lazy to go and ride your car. You don't even use your car, you know that? Bye." She hung up.

_She's mad, _Courtney thought as she stared at her phone.

Then her phone rang again, showing Geoff's name.

"Hey, Geoff," she greeted tiredly. "Thanks for picking me up; I'm near this Asian restaurant. We went there for your birthday party."

"Okay, and no problem, Courtney." He paused. "What happened between you and Duncan? He looks…freaking _dead_—and angry. He didn't even want to talk to me."

"I'll tell you when you pick me up."

"M'kay. I'll speed up, and you can't stop me. Bye, Court."

She pressed the _end _button. _He's mad, too. He didn't even call me 'Mocha.' And he didn't sound happy like he usually does. Damn it._

--

"You're acting immature, Duncan," Trent said on the other side of the phone. "She must have her reasons on why she said 'No.'"

Duncan punched the wall in anger. "What _reasons_, Trent?! It's obvious that she likes me—loves me even! Why is she saying 'No'?!" he yelled. "Why does she have to be so damn freaking confusing?! Why the hell do I love her?!"

"Duncan," he said calmly, "she probably said no for _you_."

Duncan's eyes widened a bit, but his anger quickly came back. "What the hell? How in the world would she—?!"

"Her parents are _super _strict, dude. I know when I first described them, they seem like the regular pushy parents—but I just assuaged their _true _personalities. They're… I just can't explain it. When I first met them, they asked me my qualities, my old jobs, my old girlfriends! They thought I was her _boyfriend_! They asked my freaking gender, and—" He broke off, sighing. "Man, dude, I feel sorry for Courtney. She did things she didn't want to do _for them_. The only thing she enjoyed doing was martial arts, because she got to put her anger on something."

"Courtney's not a dog," Duncan muttered.

"That's all you have to say?"

Duncan rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'll talk to her when she comes home. I just left her, and—aw, _shit_! Dude, crap, _crap_!"

"What? What happened?!"

"I left Courtney…who has a sprained ankle."

"Duncan…you really _are _an idiot."

"I get that a lot."

--

Courtney felt this tense, awkward atmosphere around her and Geoff. When she came in, Geoff had an upset look on, and that wasn't normal for him. He was always all happy and smiley—the quintessence of sunshine, you could say.

"Geoff," Courtney started quietly, "are you mad at me…?"

Geoff took a deep breath and managed a small smile. "Nah," he replied. "I'm just upset at the situation at hand here. Sorry for being all droopy and crap; I'm just…" He sighed.

"What's…wrong?"

"Well, Duncan's shutting me out, man. He mostly talks to me about everything—I mean, we _are _'BDFAY,' aren't we? I feel sad that he's not talking to me. And you!" He looked at me. "Why didn't you say 'I love you' back to him? I heard him whisper to himself, 'She didn't say it back' when he passed by me."

"Geoff," she sighed tiredly. "Look, it's not that I _hate _him or anything. I'm just doing this for him and you _know _how irritatingly _cruel_ my parents are. I don't want him to meet them and suffer from their uncanny interrogations like how you and Trent experienced it."

Geoff shuddered, obviously remembering the memory. "Harsh," he commented. "But Courtney I thought that you didn't give a freaking crap about your parents' stupid opinions. Isn't that the reason why you left and went to live on your own?"

"I know, but—I just—it wasn't—ugh!" she sputtered out. "I was just thinking about him, okay?! Even though I don't care about their opinions, that doesn't mean I can just not tell them about Duncan being my boyfriend!"

"If they don't accept him, what will you do?" Geoff asked suddenly. "I'm speaking…hypothetically, m'kay?"

Courtney had to smile at Geoff's sudden advanced vocabulary. He's been watching too much adult TV shows.

"I guess…I'll…say that I don't care about your opinions, and I'm only introducing him to you, because I'm being polite and…" Courtney banged the back of her head to the headrest. "Damn it."

"Do you regret your decision, Mocha?"

_He's not mad… That's good. _"Yes, I do," Courtney answered surely but sadly. "I was just being…stupid—but it's Duncan's fault!"

Geoff was surprised by her sudden mood change, but Courtney ignored it.

"He's planting kisses on me everywhere and biting me! It's so disgusting, but also quite sensation—I mean, weird!" She didn't want to admit in front of _Geoff _that she liked Duncan's kisses. "Gosh, he's rubbing his entire stupid residue on me, and it's already going inside of me, crawling it's way inside my cranium!"

"Mocha, I think you're being a _little _bit—"

"Damn it, why the _hell _am I in love with that perverted criminal?!" After she said that, she quickly covered her mouth, shocked. Did she just say that?

From her peripheral vision, she saw Geoff smirk. He patted Courtney's hand twice and put it back on the steering wheel.

"My work here is done," he announced. "I'll speed up for you since you should say what you blurted out to me to a certain criminal."

"He was right…," Courtney mumbled, feeling stupid again. "That idiot was right… Why am I so _stupid_?"

"I shouldn't say anything about that, but it might be because you've been spending too much time with D—"

Courtney cut him off again, "It's _your _fault, Geoff!" She pointed an accusing finger towards him. "If you didn't meet Duncan, then I wouldn't be in love with that stupid idiot and I would still have my unattainable intelligence!"

They both stayed quiet. The only thing heard was the car and Courtney's loud breathing. Geoff broke the annoying silence.

"You're not bi-polar, are you, Mocha?"

He was met by a sharp elbow to the guts.

--

Duncan leaned against the railing in front of Courtney's apartment door. He was waiting impatiently for Courtney and Geoff to arrive.

_Okay, how should I react around Courtney now? Should I be mad or look pathetic? _He was silent in his mind for a moment. _Scratch that—I _hate _seeing people take pity on me. Anger is the way, dude. Anger…_

"Now I'm thinking to myself like a stupid thinker," he grumbled. "Fan-freaking-tastic."

"Hey!" he heard a Geoff yell. "Oh, my gosh, it's my 'BDFAY'! My best dude forever and yeah! Over here! I brought your princess! I didn't kidnap her or anything, but she has a sprained ankle! I think you harassed her, because Courtney's the most graceful person _ever_! And maybe you guys should—!" His voice became muffled.

"Geoff, shut the hell up, please," he heard Courtney snap. "Jeez, you're so freaking _loud_!"

"Loosen up, Mocha!"

"Oh, I'll loosen _you _up!"

Despite Duncan's _supposedly _angry feeling, he couldn't help but chuckle at Courtney's usual self. When Courtney looked over at him, he put on his expressionless façade quickly. She frowned at that.

Geoff clapped him on the back. "Mocha here has some _good _news to tell ya', best dude forever and yeah!" he shouted.

Duncan glared at him. "Dude, I told you not to call me that. It was a _joke_, okay?"

"But I like it."

Courtney suddenly stepped closer to him, biting her lip, tempting him _again_. There was something wrong with Courtney—why does she _always _tempt him with that simple gesture?

"Duncan," she started, "I need to—"

"Geoff, leave us now or else I won't allow you to call me that anymore," Duncan interjected. "I want some alone time with Courtney."

Geoff quickly obeyed, but before he left he winked at Courtney.

"Okay, look," Courtney suddenly said, stepping closer towards Duncan. "I'm not going to wait for you to look at me and say, 'Well, what do you want, Courtney?' like those sentimental, clichéd movies, all right? I'm here to tell you _why _I said no. I'll start now, because I'm too irritated to hear you say coolly, 'Explain then.'"

Duncan was taken aback on how Courtney knew him so much. I guess he wasn't the only one who can predict the other's actions.

"I said no for _you_," she explained. "My parents are _incalculably _brutal, and I don't want you to—"

"Hey, babe, I practically got all of your explanation from Trent. You can just skip the part about your parents and go to the good news that Geoff told me, because I don't _care _if your parents don't like me or whatever. Now, go—continue."

Courtney rolled her eyes before continuing, "Well…maybe the part about my parents was just an excuse, because I _was _confused."

"'_Was'?" _Duncan repeated.

"Yes, and…I'm…in love with you, too." She smiled softly.

Duncan was elated—but that was a _huge _understatement. He wanted to wrap his arms around Courtney and kiss her senselessly. He _knew _that Courtney was in love with him, as well.

"Took you long enough," he grunted, stretching his arms. "Damn, I'm tired."

Courtney punched him. "What the hell?! Aren't you supposed to be saying something else?!" she cried.

"What am I supposed to say, anyways? And you said so yourself—this isn't some 'sentimental, clichéd movie'! I'm not supposed to sweep you off your feet or whatever trash!"

"So you _don't _want to be boyfriend/girlfriend?!"

"Maybe I _do_, Princess! But I'm not going to go down on my knee and hold your hand, saying—"

"That's _proposing_, you dumb ogre!"

"Whatever! I'm tired, so let's just agree on being boyfriend/girlfriend, all right?!"

Courtney stepped closer. "Fine! Let's go in _your _apartment since I've never seen it, and then we'll cuddle or whatever!"

"Kiss me furiously first and then we can!"

"Fine!" She grabbed him and kissed him hard.

Duncan put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer as can be. He heard her moan, and of course he had to smirk at that. Courtney let go and leaned her forehead against his.

"You're an idiot," she said.

"_You're _an uptight chick," he replied.

"Carry me?" She looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.

Duncan carried her bridal-style and walked to his door. He suddenly felt Courtney smack him on his chest hard, and it stung badly. He almost dropped Courtney, but he resisted the pain and the urge to do so. He did _not _want Princess to smack him again.

"It's _your _fault for leaving me there with a _sprained ankle_!" Courtney yelled. "That's why you received that physical pain!"

"It's _your _freaking fault for _falling_! I'm not a super fast vampire who can just catch you in the blink of an eye! And that's saying something coming from me!" he yelled back.

Their shouts were muffled from behind the door, but it still didn't lessen the irritation of the neighbors.

--

**Happy? They're finally together. ;) Yeah, it seemed _too _fast, but hey, they said so themselves; they_'_re not some cheesy movie or whatever. :D**

**I like it when they fight. They remind me of Ichigo and Rukia in _Bleach_, but more different. Ichigo's _hot_. =^.^= (That looks like a cat.)  
**

**BTW, I _hated _the last TDA episode! They made Duncan and Courtney have the most stupidest relationship and break-up! It wasn't all sweet like how TDI was! They better make the season finale or whatever better! -.-**

**Please review.**

**Monica-san**~


	15. Twitter and Asthma

Courtney took a deep breath, breathing in and out. For about three minutes, she will be doing this, and then she will go back to work. She rubbed her temples and took another deep breath.

"Do you have asthma, babe?" Duncan whispered in her ear lowly. "If you do, I'd _gladly _give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I'm not complaining."

Courtney swiftly elbowed him on the stomach and then turned around, hugging him.

"That can't do anything for asthma, stupid."

Duncan chuckled. "Hit me, then cuddle—I like it." He was quiet for a moment. "Are you okay? You…look more stressed than usual."

"'More stress than usual'?" she repeated. "Do I look stressed a lot or what?"

"Well, school _is _starting now, and you've been looking super frazzled. What's up, Princess?" He gently kissed her forehead. "Talk to Doctor Duncan."

"You'd be a horrible doctor; you'd only molest young teenager girls."

He snorted in disgust. "Ugh, don't compare me to those molesters and pedophiles appearing on TV a lot, okay? That's the worst insult ever—sort of."

She sighed. "My…parents found out about you," she muttered. "Apparently they heard it from my brother, who saw it on Geoff's _Twitter_."

"Damn your excessive twittering, Geoff." He frowned. "And why did your brother rat you out? I thought he wasn't like that."

Courtney laughed nervously. "He's not…but if you do something bad to him, he'll get revenge on you. He holds grudges for a long period of time and it's _not _pretty at all. He's so freaking immature."

"For some strange reason, that makes me like your brother."

"Oh, great, I have a homosexual boyfriend."

"Hardy, har-har, sweetheart." He rolled his eyes at her. "And why are you so worried about your parents? Are you _scared_?" He smirked.

Courtney sighed again and groaned. "Yes," she admitted. She looked up to see Duncan's eyes widen. _Of course, _she thought. _He would expect me to deny it and say some snarky remark back at him._

"Why are you scared of your freaking _parents_? It's not like they'll make them live with you again, installing surveillance cameras everywhere." He shook his head, chuckling.

She scowled. "They would. They're that extreme and domineering. I don't know how the hell I spent my eighteen and a half years of living with them. My brother got emancipated when he was fifteen."

"He's my hero," Duncan joked. "But how did he live, Court? I mean, sure it's brave of him to do that so-called 'irrational' behavior, but he's only fifteen. How did he cope?"

"My brother…was my all-time hero, as well." Courtney had a soft smile on. "He followed my parents' every whim without question and was best at everything—school, sports, socializing, et cetera, et cetera. He absolutely loved photography and took amazing photos—mostly about random things.

"Of course, my parents wanted him to take over the business like regular demanding, strict parents—except more brutal. That was when my brother lost his temper; it was shocking, because he was normally a calm person."

"The opposite of you," Duncan added, grinning.

"Shut up. Anyways, he yelled at them, ranting about how they controlled his life. I was there listening in, staying unobtrusive. It made me want to cry, but I didn't." She felt Duncan's arms around her tighten. "Deep inside the pit of my stomach, my brother became my idol, my hero. I've always wanted to do what he did, but I couldn't. I didn't want _them_ to hate me."

"Who could hate you?" she heard Duncan mutter. "Or wait…"

"Duncan, just shut up. _Anyways_, I—wait, Duncan, did I ever tell you what my hopes and dreams were?" She stared at him curiously.

"You mean becoming a man-hating dictator of the world, forcing them to become slaves for you, with you cackling like a witch in the background? Well, no."

Courtney pinched his lips together tightly, causing him to jump up a little.

"Damn it, woman, I won't be able to kiss you properly!" he hissed. He winced when he smacked his lips together.

"I've always wanted to be a lawyer!" she exclaimed. "I wanted to be the one to help my brother get out of our parents' clutches. I wanted to help him so badly. My parents approve of this, but they don't know the true reason behind it. I…love my brother dearly."

Duncan rubbed his hands up and down on her back affectionately. "Where is he now?" he inquired quietly.

"He's married now in Ontario—'twenty-six and loving it' in his words. I spoke with him a week ago. He's doing fine."

They stayed quiet for a moment, staying locked in a soft embrace.

"So, I'm going to meet your parents?" Duncan asked. "Well, to ease your worries, all parents love me, babe."

Courtney groaned, knowing he was lying.

--

Geoff patted Duncan's head repeatedly, treating him like a little boy—which was annoying Duncan a lot.

"Stop that!" he shouted, slapping his hand away. "I don't need any of your pity or any of your babying. This is _your _fault!" _Ugh, I'm getting a headache, _he thought, rubbing his forehead. _Now I feel like Courtney._

"How is it my fault? I don't even talk to Courtney's parents!"

"I blame your addiction to _Twitter_, Geoff." He spoke with clenched teeth. "_Twitter _is overrated, dude. It's not the most popular website or whatever crap, all right?"

Geoff looked confused. "Courtney's parents have a _Twitter_? Well, maybe they aren't that lame at all," he murmured to himself. "It's probably the dad since a lot of female celebrities use that site. Or maybe it's the mom—"

"Geoff," Trent interrupted, sighing, "just…shush." He looked over at Duncan. "Are you scared?"

"Why the hell are you asking that?" he inquired incredulously. "No way am I scared…even though it's my second time meeting another girl's parents. It went well, 'cause Trisha's parents were laidback and stuff. But now…I'm going to meet the kind of parents who are judgmental and wouldn't approve of me right away."

Trent put a hand on Duncan's broad shoulder. "Duncan, just don't back down. Stay tough—don't let them get to you, all right? This is where you'll see where Courtney gets her toughness and uptightness. Don't tell her I said that, about the uptightness part," he added.

Duncan laughed. "She'll just get mad at me for talking about her with you guys. Man, I love her…"

"Then show it to them," Geoff said suddenly, sounding mature. "Show Courtney's stiff parents that you love her. Even if they're the most cold-hearted freaks, they have a heart, right? I mean, it's not like they had an arranged marriage and Courtney's mom had to give birth to two kids, one boy, one girl. That's stupid."

"No, Geoff. What you said was stupid. Who does arrange marriages nowadays?" Trent asked. "That's so…long time ago."

"But Courtney's parents are old, so they must've done that kind of thing. They might've been in an old-fashioned family. You never know, Trent." Geoff crossed his arms over his chest.

Duncan stared at the two, knowing that the subject was no longer on his problem.

--

"Well, you're screwed, Court," Gwen said bluntly. "That's all I gotta say."

Bridgette looked at her, glaring at her. "That's not helping, Gwen!" she hissed. She turned and smiled reassuringly at the panicking Courtney. "Just calm down and think on the positive side."

Courtney punched the wall beside her. "'Think on the positive side'?! What _positive side_?! My freaking parents like to think on the negative side, Bridge! You should know that! You met them!" she screamed. "My parents are the embodiment of the 'Devil's Couple' probably!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Courtney, just sit down and stop being so overly dramatic, all right?" she ordered, irritated. "It's not the end of the world, and don't say it is. We both know your parents are freaking psycho, but that doesn't mean you can go that far."

"But it's true!"

"Do you think acting like a complete _baby_ would give you a solution to your _'problem'_?! No, it wouldn't!"

"Guys, just freaking shut _up_!" Bridgette shouted. "Okay, Courtney, Gwen is right—stop being such a puerile whiner! You're nineteen—a freaking adult! You're living on your own; you have a good job, although you don't like it much; and you're going to a good college soon!"

"Court," Gwen sighed, looking calm now. "Do what your brother did."

Courtney's eyes widened and she looked away, clenching her fists. She _dreadfully_ wanted to do what her amazing brother did. She couldn't, though. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't strong enough—she wasn't _courageous _enough.

Gwen walked over to Courtney and put a hand on her shoulder tenderly. "Being a lawyer wasn't your only dream, right?" she said softly. "Show your parents you're an adult now; show them you're doing fine on your own; show them you _are away from their freaking, ugly clutches_."

Courtney smiled determinedly and laughed. She hugged her Goth friend. "Thank you, Gwen," she whispered sincerely. "For a 'I-don't-like-to-help-people-with-their-stupid-pain-in-the-ass-problems' kind of person, you're innumerably helpful and wise."

She then walked over to Bridgette and hugged her as well. "And thanks, Bridgette. I'm proud that you can blow your temper just like me." Bridgette giggled. They released each other. "You guys are manically awesome."

"Same goes for you except ten times more," Gwen and Bridgette said in synchronization.

--

Duncan tried not to wince as Courtney's grip on his hand got tighter and tighter. They were in Courtney's car, and they were heading to Courtney's parent's house. Each time they got closer and closer, Courtney's grip got _tighter _and _tighter_.

Duncan hated to admit it, but he was quite nervous about meeting his girlfriend's parents. He was never good at being polite or not saying whatever he likes to say. He didn't want to ruin it for Courtney, but it's not his fault he's not like those girlie men Courtney's parents must like.

"So…," he started conversationally, "what are your parents' names? I'm getting tired of saying 'your parents' and 'Courtney's parents.'"

Courtney's grip loosened and Duncan sighed quietly in relief. "Well…my dad's name is Cameron and my mom's name is Darlene. It's pretty ironic, right?" she laughed.

"Eh? How is it ironic?"

He saw Courtney roll her eyes at him. "Gosh, you're so freaking stupid sometimes, Duncan," she muttered. "I don't know what goes on in your brain—if you have one." She whispered the last words.

Duncan glared at her. "Hey, I'm not _that _dumb, nor am I deaf, _sweetheart_. I just don't like to think all the time, all right? It hurts my brain."

Courtney didn't answer this time—instead she gave him a sad look. Duncan raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? Why do you look so sad, Princess?"

"I've never…asked about your parents. Hell, I never even asked about _who you are_. I feel…selfish." She frowned. "Tell me about yourself."

Duncan laughed. "That was random. Hmm…okay, my name is Duncan. I'm a hot male specimen—the number one case, actually—and I'm a _great _kiss—"

"Ah, forget it—just tell me about your parents."

"Harsh, man." Duncan pursed his lips. "Well…my parents are both cops—practically everybody in my freaking family is a cop."

"Now _that's _ironic. You're a criminal with a family full of cops? Doesn't that…make them furious or disappointed?"

Duncan snorted. "Hell yeah, babe. They think that I'm supposed to be a cop, as well. But I don't want to be—I hate abiding by the rules. It sucks, and I just want to be who I want to be. I don't want anyone telling me I have to be this, I have to be that. That just annoys me. It's _my _life and I can do whatever I want with it."

Courtney smiled. "I've always wanted to say that to my parents," she said quietly. "You're doing what I've always dreamed of doing. I guess that makes you my hero."

As soon as she said that, Duncan blushed a bit. Duncan Evans does not blush, but here was his insane girlfriend, making him blush by a simple compliment.

Duncan cleared his throat. "Um, my dad hates me," he blurted out. "He hates that I always get in trouble. Apparently he likes to protect his reputation. He doesn't want anyone to think of him as 'the man with a troubled son.' My mom thinks that I'm a good person. She doesn't hate me." He chuckled. "I'm really close with my grandma, though."

"Really? Why?"

"She…taught—or forced to make me learn—Italian since I have Italian blood in me. So I guess that makes me bilingual. She's a retired cop now and she taught me everything—how to stay strong, fighting techniques, being independent, and all those other stuff to prepare me for the future. She just knew that I would be someone who liked to fly solo, no babying crap.

"I ran away, but I told my grandma about it. I remember the exact words we both had together.

"'I'm getting away from this hell-like piece of crap, Old Gran. Don't worry, I'll come back,' I said.

"Then she said this, and it really surprised me. 'Duncan…I don't approve of what you're doing, but I know your true reason behind it. I'll pretend I don't know where you went. But I want you to come back as soon as possible… I love you, my little boy.'" Duncan felt tears coming out.

Courtney rested her forehead on his shoulder. "Oh, Duncan," she whispered. "I'm… I don't know what to say."

Thankfully, the tears didn't come pouring down. He hated crying and hasn't cried since…like, forever. He turned to Courtney, smiling.

"Do you have a picture of your parents?" he asked suddenly. "I just want to know how they look like so I can act easily around them."

--

Courtney snorted at the thought, though she did have one in her wallet. "Why would I have a picture of my parents?" she asked, stalling. "That's a strange piece of paper to put in your wallet."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Princess. I know you have a picture of them. I just want to know how they look like—if they're ugly, I might yell out loud when I see them, so…just spare your life by showing me it."

She did not want to show Duncan how her parents look like. She didn't know why, but it seemed…_dangerous _for her to show the picture of her parents to Duncan. But she pushed away the bad feeling.

Courtney turned her head away from him. "Well…fine." She pulled out her wallet from her bag—she didn't know why she was carrying a bag—and opened the wallet. "Here's how they look like." She held the wallet out.

The car halted to a stop slowly at the red light. Duncan looked away from the road and looked at the picture. He gasped loudly.

"They're not ugly!" Courtney snapped. "I mean, they look intimidating and all, but they are in no way unattractive!"

Duncan gulped. "That's—that's not what made me gasp, babe," he sputtered out. "They're—they're—they're—"

"Just spit it out already! You're like Harold when he _supposedly _saw a monster behind me! Ugh, we do _not _need another coward nerd here!"

Duncan looked at Courtney with wide eyes. She doesn't understand why Duncan was acting like he has seen a ghost. They may seem scary, but to Courtney they seem all right, she guessed. Then Duncan said something that made her look shocked like him.

"They're…the ones who put me in the prison I escaped."

--

**A cliff-hanger right after about two months of not updating. I am sorry. Ugh, I've been editing this many, many times, and I've had this HUGE writer's block. It was so freaking irritating. Especially all the projects and mid-terms… **_**UGH!**_

**And I know. It's stupid. I made a new story for a different show, because it's the idea's been bugging me. But I'm going to delete, probably.**

**Again, I'm sorry. **

**Please review.**

**Monica-san**


	16. Family Reunions and Ignoramuses

_Duncan came out of the convenience store, scowling really hard. He clutched the bag of groceries harder and cursed when he felt drops of rain splatter on his angry face. He cursed again and lifted the hood of his jacket over his head. _

Woke me up at four in the freaking morning for some damn juice, _he thought, gritting his teeth. _Damn guy owes me big time.

_He almost screamed at the heavens when the rain poured down even harder. His worn-out Chucks splashed against the large, deep puddles strewn around the pavement as he stepped over them. He started to run, searching for shelter._

_The street was filled with houses lined up side by side, and that meant no shelter for little, wet, furious, exhausted Duncan. _

_His teal eyes spotted a dilapidated-looking bus stop with a vending machine near it. One streetlamp was on right beside it. He walked over to the place and sat down on the bench._

_He was fatigued. He had done serious labor work at a nearby retirement home, loading new mattresses for the elderly. He also had to help with some other inventory and clean _every single _room in the retirement home. And it was a gigantic retirement home. Literally you would need about five other people to finish cleaning up the building.  
_

_No, he wasn't doing any community service because he did something against the law again. He merely did all of that for a friend._

_And that friend was Geoff, the damn guy who owed Duncan big time._

_Geoff's girlfriend Bridgette wanted to do some volunteer work at the home, because she, being the good citizen she was, wanted to help out. She was in the _"Wow-I-Feel-Like-Torturing-Duncan-and-Doing-Something-He-Doesn't-Like" _mood—that was what Duncan thought, anyway. _

_Duncan wasn't even supposed to do this at first. But Geoff didn't want to do the service alone, because he knew that Bridgette would be multi-tasking and mingling with the old people. Geoff loved socializing, but he just didn't want to do all the cleaning all by himself. He had practically fell on his knees and desperately implored his best friend to help him._

_Unfortunately, the criminal had agreed._

_To which, he greatly regretted._

_All of a sudden, Duncan's heightened hearing heard distant footsteps going his direction. He realized that the rain became lighter, and it was practically sprinkling now. But he was too tired to even stand up and go home right now. _

_A guy with a cap on appeared, holding something Duncan couldn't quite make out due to the darkness. He bent down, panting, and looked like he was running away from something. Duncan automatically knew that he had stolen something from someone._

_Of course, he could, you know, go up to the guy and snatch whatever he was holding, and then become some good citizen like Bridgette. He would be well-liked among the people in his neighborhood, and their view, especially the police officers', would change. His life would be _partially _easier.__  
_

_But he certainly didn't want _that _to happen. It wasn't "fun" enough for him to do.  
_

_So he just ignored the dude and leaned back against the bench, relaxing. The light rain sounded soothing to his ears. _

_After a few minutes, he felt something land on his lap. He opened his eyes and looked down, seeing a leather purse. He picked it up and sniffed it._

Oh, damn, _he thought. _This thing is _real_.

_Not wanting to take the risk of going to jail yet _again_, Duncan hastily stood up and searched for the guy wearing the cap. He must've been the one who dumped the purse on him; he was the only one there!_

_"Hey!" Duncan yelled. "I don't want this thing! Uh…beige isn't really my color, and I don't use purses! So if ya don't mind, get your ass back here and get this thing away from me!"_

_He heard footsteps again, and he nearly sighed out loud in relief. But then his keen ears picked up something different, a different sound. He now heard something going like _click-clack, click-clack _as if the person was wearing heels or something that made such a sound.  
_

_It was someone else; it wasn't the guy who stole the purse and threw it at Duncan to avoid going to jail. _

_Duncan turned around and he saw a person running fast towards his direction with an angry look on their face. He saw the angry look, but he couldn't tell if it was a lady or a man; he didn't want to deal with anymore transsexuals again._

_As the angry person came closer, he specified that the person was indeed a woman. Her hair was just tied in a messy bun, making it look like her hair was short. _

_"YOU THERE!" the lady screamed out loud. Although she was a bit far away, her vocal chords hurt Duncan's eardrums. "Do not even THINK about running away! I will get you—oh, _Lord, _these heels!—I will get you, and I will send you straight to jail! Stay RIGHT _THERE_, YOU GROTESQUE _THIEF_!"_

_He could've immediately ran away, because the lady sounded as if she meant _business_. She was really serious. But his feet stayed planted on the same spot. He wanted to prove his innocence, because, honestly, he was tired of being a criminal. He would still fool around, but he didn't want to be in that dirty__ confinement filled with a bunch of people who had a mouth of a sailor and didn't know how to aim while using the toilet. _

_The lady had brown hair with slightly noticeable streaks of gray hair. She wore some formal-looking clothing, and Duncan assumed she just came from work or something. He looked all the way down and was impressed to know that the lady managed to run that distance fast with such high heels._

_"Now listen, lady," Duncan said calmly, bringing the purse in front of him; he tried to show that he didn't have any intention of looking through her belonging. "The guy who stole this threw it at me. I'm not the one who stole it. Honest, man."_

_She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "You _expect _me to believe such lies coming from a person like _you_?" she asked acrimoniously. Her dark gray eyes scanned over his appearance, grimacing at many parts, which showed that she was the judgmental type._

_Which meant bad luck for Duncan._

_"Oh, lady, _come on_! I may look like this, but seriously, I'm not the one who stole the damn thing! I just came back from the convenience store to buy some juice for my friend!"_

_"Buying juice at _four o' clock in the morning_?" Her tone clearly showed that she wasn't convinced._

_"Okay…so maybe that sounded like a bit of lie, but I'm tellin' the truth!" He held out the purse to her. "Look! I didn't steal one freaking thing in here!"_

_The lady glared harder at him and snatched the purse away. She looked through her purse quickly, eyes glancing at Duncan every so often. Then she gasped._

_"Where's. My. Wallet?" she spat._

Aw, motherfreakin' _hell, Duncan thought._

_All of a sudden, the police came out of nowhere, and Duncan cussed out loud, not caring if the lady looked offended and disturbed by it. _

_She was a clever person. She called the police before she came up close to him. She thought ahead. At first, Duncan thought she was pretty brave to be talking to a supposed—well, not _"supposed" _since he really _was _a criminal, but the word accounted for the lady—criminal. And now he was impressed yet again to know that she had a wise mentality. Her kids—if she had any—would be interesting._

_But also annoying since the lady was annoying._

_Cold metallic cuffs were snapped around his wrists tightly. If a normal person were to be cuffed, they would've winced a bit, but Duncan was used to this action and it didn't hurt as much to him._

_"Aw, freak, man!" Duncan shouted. "I didn't steal that shit, I freakin' swear! I just went to buy some juice that—hey! Why the hell are you drinking my juice, Nancy?" He stared the other police officer drinking the juice. "Hell, that cost me one dollar and something-cents for that!"_

_"Then obviously you were ripped off, Duncan," Nancy replied, "because I bought this juice for only seventy-five cents in the vending machine right here." She gestured her head over to the vending machine near the bus stop._

Ugh, Geoff! I'm going to freaking—!

_"Off to the cell again, huh, Duncan?" the officer, Sam, muttered bitterly. "You're nineteen; grow the hell up."_

_Duncan glared at him but didn't say a word. He wanted to defend himself by saying that that was his current mission—to stop doing such illegal actions and do other stuff he always wanted to do. Neither Sam nor Nancy would ever believe him. No one did._

"So yeah…that's what happened," Duncan concluded nonchalantly. "Basically, I was immediately labeled 'guilty' to those suckers and your ma." His eyes caught sight of Courtney's house and they widened. "Oh, damn—this your crib, babe?"

Courtney's eyes were wide, as well, but for the different reasons. She looked beyond shocked, but Duncan chose to ignore that reaction. He continued staring at his girlfriend's grand house and drove inside the lot.

"J-Just park behind the big tree over there," Courtney mumbled. "I don't want my mom or my dad to see the car."

He obliged and smoothly parked behind the tree. He cut off the engine, took off Courtney's seatbelt—he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, because he didn't want to—and got out of the car without asking her if she was coming out or not.

He didn't understand why she was acting all shocked like that. It shouldn't be so outrageous to know that her mom was the one who put him in jail for something he was innocent of. The world tended to be small in his opinion. And her mom was just any other person who would place him in jail.

It was probably karma—for escaping the jail and actually dating the lady's hot daughter. He knew that if the lady found out he was dating her daughter—which would be an amusing sight to see—since she gave birth to a crazy chick, she would mostly likely throw a huge gasket. Thinking back to the last interaction he had with Courtney's mother, she would break his ear drums and give him a migraine with all the loud, intelligent words she'd be shouting out.

His feet stayed planted in front of the porch steps when he heard Courtney running after him.

When he sensed her beside him, he looked to the left and saw her glaring at him.

"What'd I do?" Duncan asked, smirking. "I just left you."

Courtney scowled. "Yeah, there's _nothing _wrong with that sentence," she said sarcastically. "At least wait for me to recover from shock!"

He placed his hands on the back of his head. "Meh, there's nothing to be so shocked about, sweetie."

"You _freaking idiot_! This'll make the entire situation even more difficult! My _mother _was the one who threw you in jail! What makes you think seeing the criminal who allegedly stole her purse will make her bring a plate of fresh baked cookies served just for you—and with a smile? Yeah, because you _so _know my mother more than _I_, her biological daughter, does! I mean, _come on_—are you that egocentric as to—?"

Duncan quickly turned towards her, startling Courtney, with a calm expression on, but what he was feeling was far, far, _far _from it. He waved her closer with his right hand.

"Come over here, babe—I need to tell you somethin' important."

"What're you—?"

"_Just _get your pretty ass over here."

She slowly stepped over him, looking slightly apprehensive towards Duncan's surprisingly calm façade.

He was starting to get edgy from his girlfriend's lack of speed in her steps and pulled her close to him. He rested his hands on her forearms gently and placed his mouth against her ear. Smirking, he blew in her ear, making her flinch and shiver. He loved having that affect on her.

"Now…I want you to chill your pickle—can you do that, or do I have to show you a demonstration?"

She quickly shook her head and pushed him away from her. She took a couple of deep breaths and then turned, glaring at him. She suddenly scoffed and stepped up the porch steps, walking towards the door.

Duncan followed closely behind her. He watched her breathe in deeply two times and rise up her hand. Her index finger shakily pressed the doorbell, and he heard the delicate chiming of the doorbell.

Before a minute even passed, the colossal door opened and out came a middle-aged lady dressed in uniform. Duncan assumed she was one of the maids working for Courtney's parents. The lady grimaced at the sight of him, which made Duncan grin at her. She sighed and then looked at Courtney. Her eyes widened, and she gasped aloud.

"Oh, my goodness," the lady murmured. "Courtney, is that you?"

"Yes, Miss Lizzie," Courtney replied, smiling softly, "it's me… I've missed—"

Miss Lizzie choked back a sob and enveloped Courtney in a tight embrace. She buried her face in Courtney's hair and started saying incoherent sentences in her ear.

Duncan, feeling slightly awkward, stepped to the side a little and waited until the lady was done hugging his girlfriend. He didn't cope well with "touchy-feely" moments, because he wasn't an emotional person. He was a _guy_, so that should automatically inform people that.

Miss Lizzie let go of Courtney and appraised her appearance. Her dark green eyes were filled with tears that hadn't poured down yet. She quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, still staring at Courtney's appearance. Then she looked directly through her eyes.

"How long has it been, Courtney—six years?" she asked, smiling hugely.

"Only four, Miss Lizzie."

"It seems much longer…" She stroked Courtney's cheek with her left hand. "You've blossomed into a beautiful rose, pumpkin. Just look at you! You got taller, you're even curvier, and, my, my, your goodies have grown to the _max_!"

Courtney blushed darkly, making Duncan chuckle out loud.

The sound startled Miss Lizzie, and she whipped her head towards Duncan, who quickly cleared his throat. Her eyes narrowed, and he could've sworn he heard her quietly say something along the lines of "Who the hell is this?"

"And you are, young man?"

Duncan bowed playfully, and when he got up, his prominent smirk was planted on his face. "The name's Duncan, madam," he answered. He heard Courtney groan to herself after he said that.

Miss Lizzie looked a bit suspicious of him—Duncan was used to such looks, though—but she smiled at him. She seemed to be amused by Duncan's "attempt" at being polite.

"I see… Well, my name is 'Elizabeth,' Duncan. Courtney here calls me 'Miss Lizzie,' because she was raised to be a polite lady while growing up. I've told her many, many times to just call me 'Lizzie,' but she insisted on calling me that name. As the years went by, I eventually got used to the name." She stared at him again. "You can call me 'Miss Lizzie' if you'd like, you know. I assume you are…the boyfriend?"

He nodded. He pleased with the fact that she didn't think that he was some criminal, using Courtney as some hostage. She wasn't like the other people who always assumed.

_Wait a minute—"Raised to be a polite lady while growing up"? Talk about _boring_. Courtney's parents must've fed her loads of boredom when she was little, _he thought.

"Miss Lizzie, do you know where my mother is at?" Courtney asked, leaning to her left, trying to spot her mother inside of the house.

"I believe I saw her in the kitchen before I answered the door. Come in, come in—but wipe your shoes on the mat down there; you know your mother doesn't like mud or dirt tracks on the carpet and floor." Miss Lizzie held out the door, gesturing her arm out.

Courtney sighed and grabbed Duncan's hand, pulling him inside with her.

Duncan looked back and gave Miss Lizzie a look that clearly said, "Can you believe I'm dating such a forceful chick?" which made her roll her eyes and laugh silently behind her hand.

The hallway looked extremely luxurious, making him slightly awed by it. He had seen fancy junk like this on TV, but he never once saw it in person. It wasn't enough to make him go _Oooh _and _Ahhh_, but it was pretty interesting too look at.

The floor had a royal blue carpet with gold borders around it that stretched along the hallway. Vases with a bouquet of flowers Duncan didn't recognize were on white pedestals on every corner. There were paintings of naked people and other stuff he didn't care about all over the walls. Speaking of the walls, they were a soft color of beige and had intricate designs all over it.

Soft classical music was heard through his ears as he continued walking, which almost made him vomit.

"This place sure is fancy, Princess," Duncan commented, still holding her hand.

Courtney scoffed but didn't turn back. "It's called a _foyer_."

"As if I'd speak French."

"It's not even—ugh, never mind. I don't have time to deal with your idiocies in linguistics. I have to find my mother."

Duncan started looking around, searching for her mother. Honestly, he didn't really know how her mom looked. It was pretty dark the last time he had seen her, and his memory wasn't all that good, anyway. But still, he tried to look for her, hoping she must be some old person. She must look somewhat like Courtney.

A slightly elderly woman came out of the room in front of them, straightening her apron tied around her torso. She fixed the glasses on her, and she caught sight of Courtney. Her eyes widened just like Miss Lizzie's, and she merely stared at her with such eyes. She brought her hands to her mouth and whispered to herself, "Oh, my."

Duncan's eyes took in her physical appearance. He remembered her hair being brown and having gray streaks, but now it made more gray streaks. She looked even older now since she had more wrinkles including a beginning development of crow's feet. Her eyes were an extreme dark shade of gray; Duncan thought her eye color was black, and he understood where Courtney got her eyes from. She had a narrow nose and light freckles splashed across her cheeks. Her skin complexion was tan just like Courtney's, though much darker. She looked like an older description of his Princess—almost.

He suddenly began to notice that Courtney's mom, Darlene, had her in tight embrace just like earlier with Miss Lizzie, but Darlene was full-out crying. Tears were just pouring down her face nonstop.

He saw Courtney slowly hug her back; she seemed a bit hesitant, though, as if she was unsure on whether or not she should return the hug.

Darlene pulled away. She took off her glasses, grabbed a handkerchief from her breast pocket, and started dabbing the corners of her eyes. She let out a short laugh and smiled at her daughter. She placed her glasses back on and shoved the handkerchief back inside her pocket. She held Courtney's hand with both of hers gently.

"You're so stunning, Courtney," she whispered lovingly. "How are you, _niña_?"

"I'm fine, Mother," Courtney answered, smiling slightly. Her face showed nervousness. Duncan hoped she would be okay. "What about you? And father?"

"Your father is fine. He's bonding with Christopher now, you know." Seeing Courtney's stunned expression, Darlene laughed. "I know, I know. I was surprised at first, too. But then, I was also happy and proud to know that our son is finally out of that little immature world of his and becoming a responsible adult. Just because he's twenty-six with a loving family and a…good job"—Duncan didn't like her tone when she said "good job"—"doesn't mean he's responsible and mature. I mean, ignoring your parents for so many _years_? Our family is known to be very family oriented, is it not? He's completely ruining our family's recognition and reputation by ignoring us and practically shunning us out of his life."

Duncan took note that Courtney's mother tended to get loquacious. It wasn't a good idiosyncrasy in his opinion since he _abhorred _people who didn't know how to shut up. Oh, if Darlene was _his mom_, he would've jumped off a cliff already. He also took note that she spoke a bit of Spanish which meant she was probably Spanish or half and half—which also meant _Courtney _was half-Spanish, half-Hispanic, or whatever they called these people. He needed to remember all of these things.

Too bad he had horrible memory.

Darlene looked beside Courtney, and her eyes immediately filled up with intense rage. Her hands clenched into tight fists.

_"You," _she said threateningly.

_Just my freaking luck; my girlfriend's ma, who threw me in jail, has good memory. Yeah, life loves me._

"Now, Mother, please let me—," Courtney started explaining, eyes darting from her mother to Duncan frantically.

"What are you _doing here_, you—you—you_ cretin_?" Darlene yelled. "I threw you in jail, and they should've sentenced you to lifetime confinement! Why are you in my house? Why did Elizabeth bring you in here?" She looked at Courtney and then at Duncan. "Better yet…why are you with my _daughter_?"

Duncan didn't answer her; he refused to answer her. He wasn't the person who was supposed to explain the situation. It was Courtney's accountability, not his. He knew that this was what she had to do in order for her to _finally _and _officially _be free. He wasn't stupid; he knew that she was still afraid of her parents, or she was…afraid of _disappointing _them again.

But what was so disappointing in her life? She had a decent job, she lived in a good apartment; she was still in school; she was financially and emotionally all right. All of that equaled to one responsible person, didn't it?

Duncan knew for a fact that _he himself _was the disappointment. He disappointed everyone in his family one too many times—who was to say that he wouldn't make Courtney's parents disappointed in her by being with him?

Still, though, Courtney had to do what she had to do. She shouldn't be hiding anymore. She might be living a somewhat perfect life, but there were some family stuff that had to be fulfilled. Maybe then she wouldn't be so uptight.

Duncan doubted _that_, of course.

"Duncan—Duncan is my boyfriend, Mother," Courtney stated quietly.

Darlene focused her angry eyes on her daughter. _"__Perdoneme__?" _she inquired incredulously. "Courtney, _this _is the boy Christopher told us you were dating? You couldn't be dating a—a _criminal_! A thief! Obviously he has no future planned out for him as the years go by. He'll end up being deprived and lonely. You should've known this the _minute_—goodness, Courtney, _the minute__, _the _second_—you saw his face! You should've known better. If you stay with the likes of him, you will go straight down. It'll be extremely formidable for you to get back up, _mija_."

Duncan rolled his eyes. _Jeez, all I hear is blah, blah, _blah_. _

"Courtney Davis, didn't your father and I taught you well? We know that you are well-informed about what you are supposed to do regarding situations like this." She glared at Duncan once more. "You are to be avoiding _his kind_, because he will most likely adulterate this family. _Ay, Dios mìo_, what do you think his _parents_ must be?"

Duncan narrowed his eyes at her. "My parents happen to be cops, woman," he defended. He didn't know why he was defending the people he ran away from, but he certainly didn't want anyone badmouthing them except for he himself.

Darlene raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I cannot see how two people who are required to obey the law and be refined, conscientious citizens in this civilization could've possibly raised a criminal. It's completely absurd! I bet you devastate your parents' reputations too, you criminal. Having a lawbreaker as a _son_…dear, dear, that must be torture for them! You, young man, shouldn't even—"

"Mother!" Courtney shouted heatedly.

Darlene, without delay, stopped the quick sentences bursting out of her mouth.

"Please…_stop it_, okay? And listen carefully here, because I am definitely not going to repeat myself." She stared at her with a calm expression, but Duncan could see the pure determination swimming around those onyx eyes.

"I don't live under your roof, and I don't need to abide by your rules or anything else for that matter. I have been living by myself _without _your help for four years already. I came here to smooth some rough patches out with you and father. I didn't visit you just so I can hear you scold me about something that should be _my _decision and _my _decision _only_. You can't just tell me what to do!" She sighed. "Duncan is my boyfriend, Mother. I don't need your permission or father's permission, as well. And why are you treating him as if he were toxic _waste_? He is a human being just like the rest of us, you know."

Duncan could admit that he was slightly upset with Courtney. She stood up to her mom, yeah—but it wasn't _enough_. He could hear the hidden fright underneath her firm tone. She was still afraid. He knew that she was trying, but right now, trying wasn't what she was supposed to do. She had to _do it_. It was now or never.

Courtney would live to regret this in her entire life if she didn't smooth things down with her parents. Duncan didn't want that to happen to her. In order for her to be free, she had to fix up some problems that she skipped over.

Darlene's expression looked as if she didn't hear a word Courtney just said. "We will have to fix _that _situation first," she said, staring icily at Duncan. "You _clearly _escaped from the confinement I sent you to. You are required by law to go back—oh, no, no, no… I will call the cops _right now_. I have 911 on speed dial, and I will send you back there forever. _Basura!_"

Courtney gasped out loud. She glowered at her. "M-Mother, you are being impolite! How _dare _you speak of Duncan that way?"

_"Basura"? I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing. _Ah_, screw this! Time to man up and defend my freakin' self, man. She's just some old lady._

"'Kay, 'Kay, 'kay, _'kay_!" Duncan announced. He took a couple of steps forward until he was facing Darlene, the lady who was pissing him off. "I said this before, and I'll say it again: I wasn't the one who stole that little purse thing! I was buying juice. Oh, shoot, it sounds like some big fib since it was four in the morning during that time, yadda, yadda. This guy came with some cap on and he was holding something. I ignored the dude. All of a sudden, he threw the thing at me. That's when you came and started screamin' so loud. I am _telling the truth_! _I didn't steal your pretty little purse!_"

It seemed futile—but Duncan wasn't willing to give up. He wanted to protect himself now. He wanted to show people that he was a changed man now, especially to Courtney. The idea might seem a bit outrageous to most, but it was true.

"How do I know you _are _telling the truth?" Darlene questioned. She didn't look convinced by his words. "You could be lying to me right now at this very moment! Criminals are very skilled at being dishonest. Acting is in their nature."

_Eh, that's true_. "Jeez, lady, 'course I'm telling the truth. Does it _look _like I'm lying?" He sighed, running a hand through his Mohawk. It was time to get serious. "Darlene—Mrs. Courtney's Ma—Old Lady—whatever you want to be called…I'm tired of doing all of these illegal crap. Before that incident happen with you and me, I just wanted to stop. It's not that I'm tired of being a bad guy—I _am _bad just for the record—but I don't wanna be in jail anymore. 'Sides, I got better things to do."

Courtney smiled at him. She walked towards him and grabbed his hand gently. Duncan intertwined their fingers together automatically. She kissed his cheek quickly—_her_ cheeks turned slightly pink afterwards—and then faced her mom.

"Mother, Duncan is someone you can't understand. At times, I don't understand him, too. He's an idiot—a pervert! I mean, he can be so unsanitary sometimes, you know. Oh, and get this: he doesn't even know that tomatoes are actually fruits!"

Duncan glared at her and squeezed her hand hard. "You're making your ma love me _more_ and _more_, babe."

"_My point is _is that I'm going to be with him, because I love him. I don't give a crap if you don't approve of this."

_Yeah, that's right, people. That's _my girl _standing up to her ma, _he thought smugly. _Shoot, wait. Serious moment, serious moment…_

Darlene started to open her mouth.

"Patience, Mother—I'm not finished yet. I will also include that I don't have to listen to your words anymore. I will firmly state that yet again so it can get through your head. I'm an adult now.

"And about Christopher—lay off of him, will you? He's already twenty-six with a family and a good job. I think that unmistakably says that he's living a good life as it is. Stop interfering and leave him alone, too." Courtney gripped Duncan's hand tightly and stepped closer to him. "I'm done."

Her mother merely stared at her. Duncan couldn't decipher her expression on her face. It was like a lot of them were scattered around, mixing with each other. He could sort of tell she wasn't used to being spoken to just like that. It must've reminded her of the time Christopher lost his temper except much different.

Duncan was proud now. It wasn't what he exactly envisaged—he actually thought Courtney would be yelling instead of being so calm and collected—but he was elated to know that she did it. His psychotic girlfriend did it.

Suddenly, two deep voices were heard from behind them. Duncan turned around and saw two men who were conversing with each other, wearing small smiles on their faces. One was an old man with black hair—Duncan almost laughed, because he knew the man must've dyed his hair—and was tall in stature. He had brown eyes, and his complexion was light. The other was a well-built young man with dark brown hair. He had the same eye color as Darlene, but Duncan could see that it was lighter. He, too, had a light complexion. In a way, he looked like Courtney.

Duncan immediately labeled them both: Old Man and Sort of Guy-ish, In-a-Way like Courtney, AKA old brother.

Everyone did their reunions with all the hugging and smiling. Courtney and Darlene did all the explaining on what happened. Courtney's dad, Cameron, scolded her, but he didn't do it to the extreme like how Darlene did earlier. That was probably because of what happened between Darlene and Courtney. Christopher seemed to have patched things up with his dad. For a while, he and his mom talked together privately, obviously talking things out. It worked out well. Christopher and Courtney had their typical brother/sister moment with Courtney getting angry at him for being a "moronic tattle-tale."

Cameron turned his brown eyes towards Duncan who was busy whistling to himself. He placed a hand on Darlene's back. "Honey?" he whispered. "Isn't he—?"

Darlene laughed. "Oh, no," she replied casually. "The criminal has a _blue _Mohawk, not a _green _Mohawk, Cam."

Duncan smirked. _Well played, lady. Amateur but well played._

**. . .**

"You know," Christopher started softly, plopping a grape in his mouth, "I only told our parents about you dating Duncan for you." He chewed slowly and then grabbed another one from the bowl.

Courtney scoffed. She swallowed the chewed-up grape in her mouth. "Yes, Chris, it was _really _helpful," she grumbled. "I dodged the bullet right there."

"You didn't avoid the problem; you fixed it." He smiled proudly at her. "I always knew that you wanted to stand up to our freaky parents."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from the gentle brotherly look displayed in his eyes. She wasn't much of an emotional person even with him. Back then, they wouldn't really have these deep conversations with each other. They weren't close, but they both had a sibling connection.

There was a time when Courtney was crying because their parents chastised her for having a C on a test. They took away her phone and TV privileges, forcing her to study even more. Christopher went inside her room after the lecture and just put an arm around her shoulders while she cried.

Now, Courtney didn't cry as much like when she was younger. But she could sense that Christopher knew her concealed feelings. She was beyond happy to know that they both still had the connection.

"How are Samantha and Chubby Ricky?" Courtney asked quietly, referring to his wife and son. "Are they doing well?"

"Yeah, they are. Sammie's doing great with her interior designing and Ricky knows how to sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and 'Yankee Doodle'—he still can't pronounce the _th_ sound, though." Christopher chuckled.

It became silent now, but it wasn't the awkward kind of silence. The silence was comforting, and Courtney knew they were both enjoying it. It was weird to be bonding in the kitchen, leaning against the counters, but she was contented.

"I like Duncan," Christopher proclaimed out of nowhere. "He's a pretty cool guy, and he does look like he cares a lot about you. I'm kind of getting the feeling that you two have some history before you became a couple." He raised an eyebrow.

Courtney stroked the grape she was holding, examining it. "We did." She laughed shortly. "He's an idiot, but he's great… It may seem pretty bizarre for me to date a Neanderthal like him, but it doesn't matter. I love him."

They started to talk about some childhood moments. Both of them laughed at the side-splitting times when Courtney would run around in her diapers while Christopher and their auntie would be babysitting her. This conversation was supposed to make Courtney deny everything or just act like a huge spoil-sport she typically was, but she was bonding with her older brother and she wanted to make the best of it. She let go all the boundaries and became…herself.

After a while, it was time for Courtney and Duncan to go. When Duncan came back from his "talk" with her parents, he had an uncomfortable expression on and he was deadly quiet. Courtney questioned him about it, but he told her that they would talk about it by the time they were home.

Duncan was the type of person who rarely got uncomfortable. He was always the one person who would make another person uncomfortable instead. It was surprising to see this happen to him. It made Courtney curious as to what happened earlier with the three of them.

The ride home was eerily quiet. Loud music wasn't being blasted from the radio, playing some tune that broke Courtney's eardrums. Duncan didn't even touch the radio.

"Duncan, what _happened_?" Courtney asked. Her curiosity was getting the best of her.

Duncan exhaled exasperatedly. "I told you I'd tell you when we get home, Courtney," he answered. His tone sounded somber just like the time he stood up for himself against Darlene—which Courtney had to admit was completely admirable and…attractive—but this time it frightened her a bit since the circumstance was entirely dissimilar.

"I know that, but I just can't help myself. You're acting so strange, and it makes me _really _interested. Come on, Duncan—tell me what happened with you and my parents. Did they say or do anything severe? _What?_" She was desperate to know.

_"Drop it."_

"For crying out loud, just _tell me_. It couldn't have been _that _severe." _Or it actually could_, she said internally.

"Shut yer trap, honeybunch."

"Duncan Aiden Evans—"

"Oh, so you think saying my full name is gonna make me piss my pants off and tell you? Baby, you got another thing coming."

"I just want to _know_."

"And I just want you to shut the hell up and _drop the freaking subject_."

"D—"

_"Courtney."_

"Just—"

_"Courtney!"_

She opened her mouth again, but she didn't get the chance to say anything because the car suddenly swerved to the left, entering some alleyway. She gasped and turned to glare at Duncan. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw him looking down at the steering wheel with an undecipherable expression planted on his face. His fists were gripping the wheel tightly, knuckles popping out, turning white.

"Um, Duncan…?"

"You want to know what happened, huh?" he whispered creepily. "You _really _want to know, huh? Well, here it is, hot stuff! Your _awesome _parents asked for a copy of my license registration, birth certificate, shots records, and all those other documents needed for some crap. They also asked how many girlfriends I had before you and if I ever had sex. They also want me to do some HIV or STD testing just in case I ever had sex _unprotected_. They wanted to know all the schools I went to, all the jails I escaped, and all of the illegal stuff I did. Do they freakin' think that I can remember all the stuff I did back then? I have bad memory, babe!" He gripped the wheel tighter. "They're…_psycho_. They both belong to some freaky asylum. So, so…_psycho_!"

Courtney would've burst out laughing at the sight of Duncan looking so vulnerable and freaked out. But he really _did _look so vulnerable and freaked out that it made her concerned for him and feel sorry for him.

She leaned over her chair, ignoring the fact the seatbelt was suffocating her body, and pulled Duncan into a tight hug. He felt her hug her back quickly, burying his face in her chest. She rubbed his back relaxingly, whispering gentle sentences in his ear like "It's okay, Duncan, it's okay…" and "Shh, shh, I'm here. They're not going to haunt you. I'm here…"

She continued doing that for what seemed like an hour.

"Did they really do that to you, sweetie?" she murmured tenderly. "Hmm? Did they?"

She felt him shaking underneath her. She thought he was crying, but she didn't feel anything wet on her chest or anywhere else. Then he started to hear snickers coming from him. He abruptly threw his head back and started laughing out loud. Small tears were sneaking from the corners of his eye. He wiped them and clutched his stomach, still laughing like nobody's business.

Courtney stared at him, mouth agape.

To put it simply, she was tricked. Undeniably _tricked_.

She started to glower at him, waiting until he was done with this infantile laughing fit.

Duncan stopped laughing. He looked at Courtney and let out a few chuckles. He shook his head a few times, grinning hugely as if he was triumphant about what just happened.

"Whoo! _Damn_, that was _gold_!"

Courtney clenched her teeth together. She slapped his arm hard. "_'Gold'? 'GOLD'? _That wasn't _funny_, Duncan Evans! You had me worried sick about you since you looked all susceptible, and I just wanted to make you feel better! You used your horrible acting skills against me for a cruel prank? You good-for-nothing _ignoramus_! How _dare _you?" she screamed.

"What the hell is an 'ignoramus'?"

She held out her hands as if she was strangling his neck and shrieked to herself.

Duncan started to back up and drive back into the road. He smoothly entered the left lane.

Courtney wanted to give him the silent treatment. She was partially good at attempting something like that, but she couldn't help herself.

"I cannot believe you actually did that to me. I really was worried about you."

"Ah, cool your jets, Princess. They just told me to take care of ya and asked some stuff about me. Even if you're pissed off at me, you gotta admit that was some pretty rockin' acting skills there, eh?" He smirked at her.

_Damn it, he's right_. "Shut up and bring me home already."

"Love you too."

Courtney crossed her arms over her chest, incredibly angry at the monkey sitting next to her. She watched the cars driving beside her. She refused to look at him—but she couldn't suppress the smile appearing on her mouth after he said "Love you too."

She was dating the man who helped her achieve her dreams. She stood up to her parents, and he helped her by just being there for her. He was her number one support system. She knew that he would always be there for her, and, of course, she would always be there for him. It wasn't something she was obligated to do, but it was something she wanted and needed to do. Explaining this was quite difficult, but she loved him. That was all there was to it.

"But really, Courtney, what's an 'ignoramus'?" Duncan inquired, looking at her with a curious face.

She smiled at him. "Look in the mirror when you get home."

"Ha-ha, you're so _funny_."

"Love you too."

* * *

**No. Freaking. Way.**

**I haven't updated this story for almost nine _months_? That is seriously whack, and I'm seriously sorry for that, readers. I know some of you really liked this story.**

**But I did update this story, and that's all that matters…right?**

**Well, the reason why I updated this story is because I know a lot of you are pretty upset and sad over the horrible fact that Duncan and Courtney aren't together anymore (darn you, TDWT) and I am, too. I wanted to update this story, because I miss writing it and that I just wanted to give you guys some good ol' DxC. **

**(I MISS YOU DXC! WAAHHH! I CRY, I CRY. CUE MUCUS AND HICCUPS!)  
**

**I didn't like this chapter, but then again, I never really like some of the chapters I make, 'cause after I read it to see any errors, I'm always thinking, "Eh."**

**But lookie here, people—my longest chapter _EVAH_! Can I get a "Booyah"?**

**Oh, please excuse my lame attempts at writing some Spanish words. If you are a native speaker of that language, I'm sorry for being such a freak and actually Googling _common Spanish words _or something along those lines. **

**Uhh, is that it? Huh. Yeah, yeah, that's it.**

**I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It literally took me a week and half to finish—dude, I think it's more, actually—but I shouldn't be complaining. I mean, it freakin' took me about nine months to update this story, right?**

**So yeah.**

**Thanks for being patient, guys!**

**Monica-san**

**P.S.**

**Author's block can go suck rotten lollipops! Toga! Yeah!  
**


	17. Pancake Houses and Romance

**boscogirl:** _Whoo_, thanks for the review. :D

**Mr. Panama Red: **Wait, hold on; you'll find out at the end of the chapter. :)

**Kick Me Awake: **Thank you. By the way, I _love _your username.

**bella-sk8er: **Haha; me, too. I love his acting—especially when they showed his talent in acting during Total Drama Action.

**Ray-Ray: **Thank you for that. I really appreciate it. (:

**Snowiyflake: **That happens to me sometimes. I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter; I enjoyed writing it quite a bit, so yeah. Don't worry—it won't take me nine months anymore. I'll try to be more responsible. :P

**Rubberduck2: **"Mini spazz attack"—that's funny. xDD

**beautifulxlife: **Oh yeah—speak the truth! And that's okay about you not reviewing much. As long as you read it and enjoy it, I'm happy. Thanks for the compliment about my writing, as well. =)

**CarmillaD: **O-M-G, you reviewed! Eek, I'm glad you're still reading my stories. You're an amazing person for always reviewing and giving me constructive criticism, which I _greatly _appreciate. Thanks for the "Spanish Guidance" you have given me. LOL. x)

* * *

**Huh. _Nine _reviewers, _nine _months of hiatus. Does that mean something? Of course it reminds me of Trent going all idiotically nuts over that number.  
**

**But really, thanks for the reviews, guys.**

**Now—on with the story!

* * *

**

_"I'm bored, babe."_

_"Me too."_

_"Wanna go on a date?"_

_"Sure."_

Although the date might have been out of sheer boredom, it was also to make up for their last not-so-happy date. Duncan certainly didn't want to have memories about that event, so he thought bringing up the idea, in a nonchalant, cool way, of having another date with her might sort of _erase _that dreadful memory. The event had ended in a pretty all right way, but still—it was embarrassing to him. He wanted his Princess to have a good first date with him.

As he gathered his clothing on the bed, he wondered where he would take her. He was taking all the shots for the upcoming date tonight. He knew that Courtney was going to expect some luxurious, "Would you like some Hors d'Oeuvres with that?" kind of restaurant. But she should know him better than that. He wasn't the romantic type, nor would he ever _be _the romantic type. He could make an exception for her. Maybe. He didn't know.

He placed his head through the hole, pulling down the T-shirt over his chest, still contemplative. He was usually a spontaneous person—in his own way, of course. He didn't like planning things, because he believed that brought a downer to what was being planned. He liked being unexpected. Some might think he was a predictable person, but he really wasn't.

_Just gonna wing it, I guess_, he thought.

He was about to leave his room when he passed by a mirror hanging on the wall, just above the black nightstand. He never looked in the mirror before a date back then; it didn't occur to him or he was just confident enough to know that he looked good—which was most of the time for the latter. But just to be sure…he did.

His famous green Mohawk was placed boldly on his head. The piercings on his face shone from the reflection and from the ceiling light. His black _The Punisher _T-shirt was tight, pronouncing his fit body, and snug on him. He wore dark blue pants which were slightly ripped on the knees and around the groin area. Two chains were secured in the belt hook, dangling freely. His dog collar was around his neck. Last but not least, his used-up red Chucks were being worn—not surprising at all.

A smirk made its way on his lips.

_Oh yeah, I look good._

**. . .**

Courtney smiled. _Okay. _Now _I'm ready_, she thought.

She grabbed a brush from the vanity mirror and started brushing her hair, staring at her reflection. She wore a loose, striped gray and white long-sleeve T-shirt that fell off her right shoulder in a stylish manner, showing her smooth tanned skin, with a black undershirt beneath; tight, dark denim Capris; and some comfy wedges. She placed the brush down and grabbed two hair ties, putting them around her right wrist. She smoothed out her shirt, a smile still on her face.

She knew Duncan wouldn't take her anywhere fancy, so she decided to wear casual attire. She was about to wear her usual attire, but she wanted to make this date special even if it was at McDonalds, for example.

A grimace was painted on her face. _Hell no. Hell _no_._

She hoped he wouldn't take her to that ghastly fast food restaurant. She hoped that there would be at least a tiny romantic bug planted somewhere in his brain. She hoped. She hoped.

The last date they had was a catastrophe, filled with broken hearts and words that just screamed dishonesty. Courtney wanted to make this date something special to throw away the memory of that dreadful occasion. She knew that Duncan thought the same.

She went out of her room, giddy with excitement. She headed out to her living room and saw—

"Damn, look at that hottie right there." Duncan whistled, smirking. He was leaning against her counter, elbows behind his back and on the counter.

To say Duncan was unattractive right now would make Abraham Lincoln look dishonest. She wasn't fond of his clothing, especially the creepy image of a smoky, menacing skull. But he fit it and looked _so delicious._ He was a bad boy, which could be considered as an understatement to most. He was someone girls would be afraid of yet dangerously attracted to. He was the embodiment of _sexy_.

"Someone's droolin'."

Courtney felt a bit of drool on her. She tried to wipe it inconspicuously, failing. "H-How'd you—?" she began.

"Sorry, Princess, but that's a stupid question. Remember—criminal?" He pointed to his chest with his thumb.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, _forgive me _for forgetting your dexterous skills, Duncan."

He grinned. He got off the counter and walked over to her, staring directly through her eyes. Love filled his orbs with a hint of lust. He wound his strong arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him in the process. She could feel his hot breath on her face. She looked up under her eyelashes.

Courtney now realized that she hadn't touched him so intimately in a while. This morning, all they did was cuddle, watching tedious reality shows. The lack of physical contact and the monotonous air created a fresh batch of extreme boredom, bringing them to this night. She put her arms around his middle, smiling at him.

"Hey, beautiful," Duncan whispered. He leaned down and captured her awaiting lips softly. The minute she kissed him, a powerful emotion spread throughout her being, suffocating her, embracing her. She liked it, and it motivated her to kiss him deeper. His arms brought her to his body even closer. One hand slid up to the back of her neck, fingers now tangled in her brown locks. Lips moved with lips. Emotion danced with emotion. Love circled the air, happiness intertwined with it.

They both pulled back. Courtney covered her smiling face in his hard chest, smelling his delicious scent. She wrapped her arms around him tighter. She felt him stroke her back softly, fingers dancing along her spine. His other hand was hazardously low on the small of her back, but she didn't mind.

After a wonderful moment of basking in each other's company, they tore the embrace and headed out. The night was quiet and quite soothing to their ears. Various noises were heard from other apartments, some louder than others. Courtney overlooked the noise and walked on, squashed against Duncan's side by his arm. They descended the steps and walked towards Duncan's car. Courtney had an idea and pulled away from Duncan's arm, running towards the driver's side, and got in. She heard the passenger's door being opened and saw a scowling criminal.

"_I _want to drive," Duncan complained.

She grabbed the keys from his hands quickly and started the car, hearing the engine purr. "Well, that's too bad," she replied, grinning. "_I'm _driving, because _I _want to. Just tell me where we're going, and I'll drive there."

"Not tellin' you 'til you make me drive."

_"Duncan."_

"No."

She glared. "You're being so immature. Tell me where we're going already!"

"Let me drive."

"You _damn idiot_, stop being so childish and tell me where we're going or so help me I will _pummel_ you!"

"_'Pummel'? _Wow, babe, you sound like some thug. And you say _I'm _bad. What a role model you _are_."

"I'll make your _face _look like some old person if you don't tell me!" She gritted her teeth. _What is _with _him? He's so persistent to drive it's aggravating_, she thought. "Why _do _you want to drive, anyway?"

He shrugged. "_Well_…I don't know where we're going honestly."

She thought she was going to combust from the amount of scorching rage inside of her.

**. . .**

Duncan, with all his might, tried to fight the urge to have his way with his Princess. Through his hormonal perspective—this was usually his normal perspective especially towards Courtney—he was thinking about how hot she was. Lust was going around in continuous circles everywhere in his body. But, through his infrequently publicized romantic perspective, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he ever saw. He knew she was beautiful, but he still couldn't believe how much she could be. It was like her beauty was infinite, no maximum number.

He mentally punched himself in the face. _Crap, I'm turning into some gooey sucker_, he thought, disgusted with himself.

He took a quick glance at his fuming girlfriend from his peripheral vision and almost smiled hugely.

_Worth it, I guess._

His fingers drummed on the seat lightly as he stared out the window. His bored eyes watched every building that passed by, hoping he could see one that would _at least _peak his interest. Every building that passed just wasn't enough. He wasn't looking for anything extravagant; he wasn't looking for anything cheap and shabby. He wanted something that would make him go, "Ooh, ooh—there!"

Which he wouldn't, of course.

He saw it.

"Turn left."

"Duncan, I'm in the _right _lane."

"Turn left, sweetheart, or else you'll pass it and then we'll have to wait for another U-turn."

"Ugh, turn _where_? What building specifically?" She carefully maneuvered through the lanes. She was in the center lane, about to make a quick, safe turn to the left when a pickup truck didn't stop and blocked the lane. "Inconsiderate _jerk_! Didn't you freaking _see_ me going to that lane? You're so freaking blind! _Ugh! _Ass—"

"He can't _hear _you, babe," Duncan interjected, smirking. Her feistiness appeared yet again, making him turned on…yet again.

She whipped her head towards him, flashing an icy cold glare. "What building are you talking about, _honey_?" she questioned sweetly; her tone was plainly covered with fake sweetness and a large amount of acid.

He yawned. "Oh yeah, you missed it during your bitch fit."

Following Courtney's temper tantrum filled with sentences about how Duncan could be "such an unbearable jerk" and how he was "incredibly worse than the driver who cut her off completely," she parked the car where Duncan unexpectedly told her to. When she did realize where she was heading, she looked quite stunned to find that he picked a pancake house for their date.

Arm secured firmly around her waist, they walked to the pancake house. The minute they stepped over the threshold, they saw that there was a fair amount of customers. Most of them sat on the stools rather than the tables. A waiter greeted them with a friendly smile. He ushered them to a table, but Duncan wanted to sit at the stools area.

"Why do you want to sit here?" Courtney inquired after she sat down.

He shrugged. "Felt like it, wanted to, did it." He grinned at her. "So, how do you like the place?"

She took a look around her surroundings, grimacing. "It's…decent," she commented. "But really—a _pancake house_? Breakfast for dinner? _This _is your idea of a date?"

"Hey now, darling. Who the hell said _this _was our date? This is just the beginning, you know. And so what if we have pancakes for dinner? And so what if we're having a part of our date in a pancake house? I'm not the type of guy to take you out to some fancy restaurant, wowing you with my gentlemanly skills and crap. I'm also not the type of guy to have our first date at some greasy restaurant like McDonalds." He scanned his eyes through the menu, indifferent.

She sighed in relief, though he didn't know why. "This isn't our first date, though."

"I know that. But I just wanted to, you know…kinda _erase_ that memory. It didn't go well."

"Yes, but it _ended _well."

"Still, Princess, I want to have a good date with you."

She smiled at him. "You're too sweet."

He snorted. "Yeah, whatever."

She leaned over to his side, looking at the menu in Duncan's hand. Her dark eyes skimmed through it, lips pursed. "Do you have any recommendations?"

He placed a hand on her back, stroking it with his fingers delicately. "Eh, I don't know; I never ate here. It's a _pancake house_, so that pretty much recommends the obvious."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why'd you pick this place if you never even _ate _here?" He had a feeling she was about to add "you idiot" at the end of her sentence.

"Impulse, sweetie, _impulse_."

She rolled her eyes at him.

A waitress came, hair in a messy chignon, holding out a small notepad and pen. She smiled warmly at the couple. She asked, "Are you ready to order?"

Courtney nodded, eyes transfixed on one particular spot. "I'll just have a fresh batch of pancakes, but please don't put butter or any dairy product of the sort on it," she told her.

The waitress jotted down the order quickly, nodding slightly. "…All right. And for you, sir?"

Duncan stared at the menu blankly; he didn't even know what to order. "I'll have what she's having 'cept _with_ whatever butter and yeah."

"Beverages?"

"I'll have a clean glass cup with bottled water, please."

"Can of Pepsi, no cup."

"No entrees?"

"No, thank you."

"None for me."

The waitress thanked them, smiled, and walked away quickly. Duncan watched her press the bell, placing the order on the metallic counter. There was a small window, and if you took a better view, you would see people in their bustling about in the kitchen.

He laid his right cheek on the palm of his hand, zoning out. He remembered going to a pancake house back then with his grandma when he was fourteen years old. He had recently got out of the station where he was supposed to clean and help his grandma with the documents. Since she was elderly, she wasn't "on the scene," as the officers would call it, and she would help manage the documents or help out around the station. Duncan had been sent to the principal's office again, receiving a ten day suspension for vandalizing the girl's restroom. Because of that incident, his grandma had forced him to help out at the station. Then, after that, his grandma had treated him to the local pancake house back in his hometown. He remembered the times his grandma would admonish him for having poor table manners and making rude remarks about the food loudly. Most of all, he remembered how much fun it was hanging out with his grandma even if it was under circumstances he wasn't fond of. He had been glad that she spent time with him.

"Strange," Courtney suddenly said, breaking Duncan's reverie. "I thought you would go flirting with the waitress earlier."

Duncan chuckled. "I'm not a man-whore, Princess. And I'm not a total asshole," he answered. "We're dating, and I'm not going to be seducing other gals like that anymore. Well…only the ones that are _willing_, 'course."

She slapped his forearm. "You're making me rethink about you not being a _total _asshole."

He gasped playfully. "You said a bad word!"

"You—shut up."

He laughed and nestled his face in her warm neck.

When their orders came, they immediately devoured their food. Duncan smothered his pancakes with tons of maple syrup, shoving pieces of the pancake in his mouth eagerly. He moaned in delight. He saw Courtney eating properly like a little rich girl—she _was_, but he didn't like that. He nudged her with his elbow and demonstrated how she should eat. He stabbed the whole pancake with his fork and bit a huge piece of it. He gestured towards her plate, telling her to do the same. She rolled her eyes and started taking bigger bites.

_That's my girl_, he thought happily.

He let out a loud burp just after he swallowed the last remains of his food. He ignored Courtney's groan of disgust and stretched his arms out. He looked at her plate and saw that it was barely empty.

"I tell you to take bigger bites and you go all anorexic towards me." He shook his head. "Shame, shame."

Courtney wiped her mouth with a napkin, glowering at him. "Quiet!" she snapped. "I'm just not that hungry. And I'm not anorexic, you ogre! You don't know the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. At least I ate _something_."

"Sure."

"Ugh, _shut up_!"

He laughed and called over the waitress, telling her that they were finished. She nodded and gathered the two plates with ease. She said that she would come back with the receipt and to go to the cashier.

While they waited, Duncan watched some TV which was showing the news. The TV was on the left side of the restaurant on top of a shelf that was attached to the wall. He felt Courtney embrace his arm and relax against his side, head resting on his shoulder. He smiled a bit and continued watching.

The waitress came with the receipt. She smiled at them and left.

Duncan picked up the receipt and cursed mentally. He only had about five dollars in his pocket. He didn't know where they were going for their date beforehand. He also didn't know how much money he had in his wallet. He had spent his pay on unimportant objects—like food…which he had finished in about two days.

"_Dang_, Alicia!" a man sitting beside Duncan exclaimed, stuffing his mouth with pancakes. "I can never _ever_ get tired of these pancakes! Freaking hell, what are _in _these things?"

Alicia, the waitress that had served Duncan and Courtney, giggled. "Secret, Hank," she replied. "Now, lower your voice; there are other customers here. Just enjoy your food—oh, you're done."

Hank patted his belly. "Wish I could savor it, but I'm in a hurry, darlin'."

She grabbed his plate and said that she would be right back.

"It's all right! I'll leave the money on the table!" He slammed a twenty dollar bill and left, yelling out, "With tip and love!"

Duncan quickly glanced at Courtney who was watching the news intently. He almost rolled his eyes on how boring she could be. He whispered in her ear that he was going to pay for their "dinner." She nodded absentmindedly. He slipped out of her embrace and whistled while walking. He pretended to observe the paintings and photographs around the place. He walked back, stretched out his right arm, forced a huge yawn, and swiped the twenty dollar bill off the table. He went over to the cashier, showed the receipt, and paid, telling the cashier to keep the change. He headed back to his girlfriend.

"Ready to go?" he inquired, taking her hand.

She gave him a disappointed look.

"What the—_what_?"

"You stole the money to pay for _our _so-called 'dinner,' didn't you?"

"Got no proof."

She scoffed. "Security cameras, Duncan—ever heard of that?"

He chuckled at her naivety. He bent down and placed his mouth near her ear. "Princess," he murmured, "those cameras don't do _crap _here. I would know. I've stolen many things in many other pancake houses and stuff. Nothing happened. I'm a criminal."

"I thought you were going to stop?"

"Well, I am. But I'm still _bad_."

"Uh-huh." She got off the stool, making him straighten himself up. She pried her hand out of his and crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow.

The ex-criminal rolled his eyes, groaning. "I'll leave a tip," he said. He took out a crumpled-up dollar from his pocket and slammed it on the counter. "There. Let's go."

She smiled and started to leave, him in tow.

Then he turned back and took back the dollar, smiling mischievously.

**. . .**

"See that guy? Aim at his head, babe. If you have a good aim and a keen eye, you could hit that sucker's eye, poppin' it out, too. Maybe."

"But this isn't _right_."

"Oh, please—none of that 'He could get hurt' junk. Just go and do it. It's for fun. You know—_fun_, something people do when they're _bored_."

"I'm not stupid."

"Then throw the damn thing."

"But—"

"Jeez, you're just throwing a rock, not a knife."

"Fine!" Courtney tried to get a good shot and quickly threw the rock. She ducked behind the air vent when he heard the guy yell out in pain. "Is he hurt?"

Duncan grinned and nudged her gently. "Hell yeah. Awesome aim there," he complimented. "Ha! Look at him, whining."

They lied down on top of the roof, gazing at the moonlight and the bright stars afterwards. Courtney thought they were all simply magnificent. The way they shone, the alignment, the beauty—they were all something that just astounded you every time.

Despite the fact that she was lying down on hard concrete with no soft material whatsoever except her clothing, she was pretty relaxed, _comfortable_. The atmosphere wasn't all that romantic or sweet. But what made this date memorable was the fact that it practically had "Duncan" written all over it. She liked the fact that this represented what he was. Spontaneous in his own way, rebellious, stupid yet smart-ish, discreetly sweet. It was him. All _him_.

"Duncan…what happened with you and my parents that day?" Courtney questioned quietly, biting her lip. "I—I need to know. Although you were actually joking about being all shocked with your acting skills"—she glared at him—"you may be quite truthful underneath. Tell me."

He blew out a huge breath. "They did some deep interrogation, like what I see in you, if I'm good for you, why I'm good for you, and _how _I'm good for you. I was pretty much straight up with them. I said that you were the most annoying yet sexiest person I ever met."

_Jeez, Duncan_, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"You're smart, and you're bent on what you believe in. Feisty and dangerous. Screams hot." He smirked at her way. "You're a good-natured person even though you're pretty harsh and violent. I just also said that I'll take care of you and keep you in shape. I'll try and grab that pole outta your ass, but it might be in too deep." He laughed. "I may be a bad person, but for you, I'll do what it takes. It's just that… Well, it's 'cause… I love you—don't you ever freakin' forget that fact, babe."

Courtney suppressed the urge to gush on and on about how charming he was being. She leaned over and kissed him, almost squealing when he wrapped his arms around her. He brought her on top of him and made out with her.

She loved him. She did.

He loved her. He did. She knew that. He told her that. She knew.

It was difficult to understand and difficult to _believe_. They both fell in love with each other despite everything. There were obstacles, but it seemed like fate _wanted _them to be together. They didn't have to try hard. The occurrences were implausible and phenomenal, them being two polar opposites. She didn't care, though. She didn't care what the others thought. Nope. She didn't.

She loved him. He loved her.

Simple as _that_.

"Say something romantic. _Willingly_," Courtney demanded, snuggled up against him.

"Ugh, do I _have to_?" Duncan whined. "Can't we just stargaze in _peace_? Or better yet, why don't we make out again?"

"Just go. Please?"

He clicked his tongue, thinking. "All right, wait…"

She waited, anticipating.

"You may be my Juliet, but I sure as hell ain't your Romeo. How's that? _Romantic enough _for you?" He grinned down at her.

"In a sense, it's sweet but totally you."

He pulled her beside him even though she was already squeezed against him enough. Her smile became bigger—she didn't even _know _that she was smiling—when she realized that he wanted her close to him as much as possible. He didn't need to say the words; she could understand him.

She was so happy right now.

"I love you, Duncan."

Duncan kissed her forehead. "Love you, too, Princess," he spoke softly.

He had jumped through her window, escaping from the officers. He had seen her half-naked. He had violated her privacy. He had flirted with her audaciously. He had touched her without consent and without shame. He had kissed her.

She could remember that day clearly as if it happened just yesterday, just last night.

Yes, that day…

When the criminal met the princess.

**Fin.

* * *

**

**Oh, _lame_. This ending has been immediately labeled as _LAME_.**

**Um, well, I _hope _it wasn't.**

**That was the ending, folks. (You got your answer, Mr. Panama Red.) I'm sorry to say that. I know it's extremely rude and "un-cool" of me to do that, but it just had to end. I was originally planning to add one more chapter before the ending—I even wrote a majority of it—but then it didn't work. The story _had _to end.**

**If the ending is somewhat cheesy ("Boo, Monica-san, you're such a lame-o! Using the title as your 'dramatic' ending! Suck! Suck!"), then that's your freakin' problem. But if you _didn't _think it was somewhat cheesy, I'll forever love you.**

**Kiddin'. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I'll still love you guys. :)**

**I realized that I write my stories differently now. I added more _emotion _to it, eh? I tried to add some humor—was it funny? If it wasn't funny _in a way_, then someone must've stolen my funny bone. Ugh. -.-**

**[Random Fact: During the time when Heather admitted that she was using Lindsay in Total Drama Island, Duncan was like, "Oh, that's cold, brah." And then Heather shot back saying that all he does was scare the crap out of everyone. Duncan's like, "At least I'm _straight _with people" or something. And I thought, "If TDWT Duncan saw that episode, he would _probably_ feel like a huge hypocrite. Just something I could share with you guys.]  
**

**So yeah, I had fun! And I hope you enjoyed the ending! Thanks to everyone that supported me and was actually quite patient with me! I'll see you in my next story! **

**Happy Halloween,**

**Monica-san**


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